At Sunset
by halfdemon-kai
Summary: A normal girl, a normal life... At least that would be what one would think. She didn't think there was anything special about her. That was until the day she happened to meet Axel. 'All I knew was that it made me happy when he waved.'
1. Waiting

Hello everyone! I know, I know, I shouldn't be writing another fanfic when I have so many already, but I wanted to start this one right away because it seemed like something everyone might enjoy. :D:D I thought that it should be a story to be shared with everyone. :D:D And no, it's not the sequel to my other Kingdom Hearts fanfic. Lol. It's just a random one. :D Well I hope that you all enjoy it nonetheless and will like it as much as I do. :D:D My apologies for spelling errors and stuff. Enjoy!!

**At Sunset**

**Waiting**

Why was it that I could barely think straight when he was around? When I saw him walking around with those two blonds… why did I feel compelled to talk to him? I didn't know. All I knew was that it made me happy when he waved.

* * *

I sat against the wall of the Accessory shop in the Tram Common of Twilight Town. I hadn't done much all day… just kind of sat around. Seifer had already come over once to see what I was doing. He was making his second trip right now.

"Why is it that every time I walk by here, you're sitting against that wall?" he ask me with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

Truth be told, I enjoyed Seifer's company when he came to see what I was doing. He was the only one who seemed to give it a thought. No one else seemed to care. _'Didn't he once say that he cared because I was a 'slacker' and could be a 'troublemaker'?' _I wondered as I looked up to him.

"It's not always this wall," I told him, closing my red eyes and smiling slightly.

He made a face and shook his head slightly.

"You're always sitting somewhere all right," he grumbled and sat down against the wall beside me, "Don't you have a home to go to?"

I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at him, the smile gone. He was staring ahead of him, making it seem like he didn't care at all. _'I'm surprised that he managed to shake Rai and Fuu off… They're usually right behind him.' _

"I don't want to go back there yet," I told him pleasantly, resting my head against my knees.

'_I don't want to go back there at all…' _My black cargo pants made it easy to carry things in my pockets. They were rather baggy, but they still fit without falling down.

"Ixaon…" he said, probably about to give me a lecture.

"Hey, there's Seifer, y'know," Rai called, his voice hearable through the entire Tram Common.

Seifer's expression narrowed as if he was agitated.

'_Okay… so he __**had**__ been trying to ditch them for a while…' _

"Just make sure you go back there," Seifer told me as he got to his feet and started to walk towards Rai, "I don't want any more complaints about someone sneaking around at night."

"I will," I told him, "… around sunset."

'_I don't sneak around at night… I walk home in the middle of the night.' _When Seifer was gone, I stared ahead of me across the Tram Common blankly. _'I'm sixteen… I can take care of myself at night. I don't need __**them**__ to do it for me.' _My eyebrows furrowed at the thought of my parents. All they ever did was argue, and argue… and argue. Then I'd go in the same room as one of them to get something and then they'd yell at me. I always wondered if they had done that before I was born… if I was the real problem. They never seemed to hate each other until I got home.

"Who cares," I grunted, still watching ahead of me.

I could sit in one place as long as I wanted to, so long as I didn't have to go home when they were awake.

A little while went by as I watched people go by. Pence went by, heading for Station Heights so he could take the shorter way to his group's hanging place. I knew him from school. He had been in a few of the classes that I had to take.

As he ran by… that was when they seemed to make their appearance; three of them, wearing the same kind of black coats. They came out of nowhere because they were walking away from a wall. Two of them were blond and the other was a couple inches taller with spiky red hair. One blond was the shortest and seemed to be the youngest with his hair going to one side. The other had a kind of mullet… and he seemed rather uplifted than the other two.

"Who're they?" I whispered to myself as I raised my head to get a better look.

The taller blond seemed to turn his head to look at me with some surprise before he smiled and waved slightly. I waved back as well with a small smile. _'He seems nice enough…' _He said something to the red head and then all three were looking towards me. The smaller blond only cast a glance, as if he didn't care about something, and the red head smiled before waving as well. They walked by and were heading in the direction of the Sandlot. _'That's weird…' _When they went around the corner of a building and I couldn't see them anymore, I rose to my feet.

"Where are they going?" I wondered quietly as my feet unconsciously started to follow after them.

They seemed… interesting. They were different; looked different, dressed different. I wanted to know this different. I wanted to know… if they knew what it felt like to be abandoned.

I quietly ran, my black shoes barely making a sound against the pavement. _'I knew there was a good reason that I wore these shoes today.' _I mused to myself, pretending that I knew something like this would have happened. My long red hair hung down my back as I ran and slightly over my eyes. The wind was blowing them out of my way. My red eyes looked around the corner and I didn't see them anymore. They were gone.

"How does that work?" I whispered to myself, looking everywhere for them.

'_They're gone… just like that…Did I imagine them? I did seem to be the only one to notice them so it is possible that I've finally lost my mind…' _I shook my head at the thought. I wasn't going to be condemned insane for that.

The clouds had started to form in the sky some time ago and were now making their appearance known. It began to rain and the cool water felt good against my face. _'Maybe they didn't go to the Sandlot… Maybe they went somewhere else…' _My red eyes wandered to the large hole that had been made in the brick wall of the Tram Common. Through there were trees and a forest… even a creepy mansion. _'I don't think that they would want to go there…' _With the rain falling now, I still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to go home. Was it late enough now that they wouldn't fight? I didn't know.

'_I guess that it couldn't hurt… before I get completely soaked to the bone.' _With a sigh, I started to head home. The water formed puddles on the ground and they made a little noise when I walked through them. My red t-shirt was wet as well as the thin black long-sleeved one underneath. They were both clinging to my skin with the wetness.

"I wonder who they were…" I whispered, seeing the three guys in my mind.

To me, none of them really stood out… except maybe the taller blond because he seemed to be the happiest. Other than that… they all kind of seemed to be the same to me yet they were all interesting. _'They seemed strange to me.' _They were all the same kind of different.

As I walked home, my red hair clung to my head. I didn't realize how close I was to home. My red eyes looked up and I saw that the house was close. It was almost dark out now and I had stopped to look at the house warily. There were two lights on and that usually meant they were both awake. _'I'm not sure I should go in there… I don't want to have to listen to them again…' _I thought it was sad that I was afraid to go into my own home; that I was afraid to listen to what my parents had to say to each other, about each other… about everything. Sometimes it was really unbearable to listen to what they were saying that I ran out of the house.

"Maybe I should wait…" I murmured with a worried expression on my face.

'_I should wait until the lights go off…' _It was a safety hazard to go in when the lights were on.

I sat down under a stairway where it was dry and looked at the ground blankly. There was nothing that I had to do. All I had to do was wait an hour or so until the lights went off. What was an extra hour of waiting?

"Hey there," an unfamiliar voice said.

Lifting my head, I didn't see anyone and I cocked an eyebrow. _'Okay… now I'm really going crazy…'_

"Over here," he laughed slightly and I looked towards my right to see the tall red head standing there.

My eyes widened with some surprise when I saw him. How had he gotten there? I didn't know.

"I saw that you were watching before," he said with a small smirk.

"I've never seen you around here before," I told him pleasantly.

No matter how miserable I really was, I had no reason to be rude to others.

"It's a first time," he told me, his greenish blue eyes bright in the dark, "Like a business trip I guess."

That puzzled me. _'…Business? What business is there around here?' _The red headed stranger's expression changed slightly, becoming curious.

"What are you waiting for?" he asked me, looking around a little.

There wasn't anything there; nothing to find.

"I'm waiting…" I started, looking up to his standing form, "to go home."

I wasn't sure if I could call it that. Somewhere that you lived but didn't feel safe or welcome... could anyone call that home?

"Oh…" he said quietly, looking to the side solemnly, "I see how it is."

'_Does he really?' _I wondered with a cocked eyebrow. He crossed his arms and turned to look at the building with the lights on.

"Do you sit around like this every night?" he wondered, still looking at the building.

"I guess you could say that," I mused, looking ahead of me.

He shook his head and then rubbed the back of it with some confusion. _'I do sit around… but I wait until night to go home…' _

"Wow… I guess I have to go," he told me as he turned towards me with slightly furrowed eyebrows, "I'd stay longer but I have some more _'business' _to take care of."

'_He's leaving?' _I cocked an eyebrow, turning to look at him and he was gone.

"Wow… I really **am** going insane," I mumbled to myself while shaking my head.

At that moment, I decided to go home. If I was going to be down outside of the house, I might as well be that way in the house. I went back into the rain and felt the cool water against my face. _'At least the world doesn't stop when something bad happens. Just because one person has something bad happen to them doesn't mean that the world has to end just for them…' _

As I opened the door, I heard my mom's voice from upstairs.

"What is wrong with you?" she yelled, which caused me to wince.

"Why are you yelling at me when it's her fault?" my dad asked back angrily.

"Why do you never take responsibility for your actions? Why do you **always** blame everything on Ixaon?" my mom shouted again,

"Do not accuse me of doing that when you do that exact same thing!" my father accused.

It was true. They both did the same thing; blamed their troubles on me so they didn't have to deal with it. _'Why do they have to do this? Why can't they just play nice for once instead of being so stupid? I just don't get it! I had to have been a mistake!' _I shook my head at the thought as I tried to get rid of it. If they had been in love enough to have me… to get married to one another, then why couldn't they be that way afterwards? Why did everything have to go wrong while I was growing up? Why not beforehand when it didn't matter?

"When I wasn't alive," I murmured with furrowed eyebrows.

I covered an ear and walked back outside. I wasn't going to deal with that again today. I walked away from the house and walked out into the rain. I didn't know where I was going to go, but at that moment, I didn't really care either. Just so long as I didn't have to go home. If I ended up somewhere like the Sandlot and fell asleep, I could have cared less.

* * *

There was only darkness and my eyes wandered all over the place, looking for an exit. I knew it was a dream, because there was no real place in the world like this. I knew there couldn't be… or at least I thought there wasn't.

"Ixaon," his voice called to me from the darkness.

'_It's that guy… The red head from before.' _His red hair formed first and then the rest of him appeared, black coat and all.

"Come with me Ixaon," he said with a smirk as he held out his gloved hand to me.

He was waiting for me to take it and I wasn't sure if I should. Then the two blonds appeared; the taller one smiling and the shorter one not looking in my direction.

"We understand how it is," he assured me, "We understand how it feels, so come with us."

'_Go with them?' _I wondered to myself. As I reached out to take his hand, the darkness seemed to get thicker.

I opened my eyes and I was curled up in a ball, leaning against a wall in a place I wasn't too used to. It was Pence's and his friends' hang out place. I didn't know why I wasn't on the couch instead, but I thought that it had to do with my parents fighting.

"Who cares," I grumbled with furrowed eyebrows as I unsteadily got to my feet.

It was summer, so there was no school to go to. _'Maybe I'll go to Sunset Hill today and watch the trains or something…' _With a sigh, I walked back out through the fence and into the back alley. I was sure that the three friends wouldn't want me there when they arrived. I knew that it was all right, because they were the only ones who ever went there. Seifer and his gang had their own place to go to, so no one else really bothered. I started to go towards the short cut that would take me to Station Heights. From there I could get to the train station and ride it to the other part of Twilight Town. The person's cart was still sitting on the flat part of the hill, breaks locked so no one could take it.

'_That world… that dark place that I dreamt about… is it real? Or was it just a dream?' _My eyebrows furrowed at the thought. If it was a real place, I knew who I wanted to shove into it.

"They'd deserve it," I murmured, looking to the right as I made it to the train station.

The bright scenery from there was always beautiful. It didn't matter how you looked at it, the place was always beautiful. It had always been a favorite place of mine to sit during the day. It wasn't often that I got bored of it. The cool breeze from there always felt nice when it blew. I never could wait for winter to see everything covered in snow. That was the only time things seemed at peace.

The bell rang from inside the station, saying that the train was about to leave. _'Better get on…' _I quickly ran inside and bought a ticket with what munny I had on me. As I got on the train, I saw Rai and Vivi there. Seifer and Fuu weren't there.

"Are Seifer and Fuu looking around together?" I asked Rai with a small smile.

"No," Vivi replied, shaking his head.

His high pitched voice always amused me, no matter how many times I had heard it. _'Oh… I guess he tried to ditch them again…' _

"He ditched, y'know," Rai said with agitation, "I don't see why he needs so much space y'know?"

I shrugged, "I have no idea."

'_Could be that you say __**'y'know' **__too much…'_

"Nothing we can do about it Rai," Vivi told him, closing his eyes.

"He's around somewhere," I assured them, "He probably just needs some time to think alone."

I was trying to be convincing, but I had no idea Seifer was really thinking. I didn't know a lot of things; Seifer just happened to be one of those things.

"_**The train will be arriving shortly," **_the conductor told everyone who was riding the train.

The train stopped and everyone got off, Rai and Vivi looked rather gloomy. _'I can't believe that they'd get to upset over something like that.' _I smiled slightly at the thought. It seemed amusing enough.

"What to do now," I whispered to myself.

Looking around, I saw that everyone had already gone and others had gotten on the train. I went down the stairs rather slowly, in no rush to get anywhere. After all, I had all day to sit around Twilight Town. Though now, I only had till sunset. _'I'll go back to the Tram Common before sunset so I can see if he'll come back… I wouldn't mind taking the time out of my waiting just so I can see him again… I want to know if they really do understand what it's like to be this way…'_ My red eyes felt dull, and I knew that that dead look was on my face. Like someone could say or do anything and I wouldn't care. I felt broken and alone enough as it was. It didn't matter to me if I got even more broken. Who would be there to care anyway?

"No friends… no one to call family… no pets… nothing," I told myself.

'_No one to tell anything to.' _I winced at that thought because it felt the truest.

For now, I was alone and there was only one option that I felt could change that… The compulsion to talk to that tall red headed, nearly green eyed stranger.

**End of Chapter 1**

So… How was it? Did you all like it? I hope so. :D:D I worked hard on it and I'm working on the next chapter already, though I don't have much down 'cause I was busy all weekend and yeah. :D I'm really tired right now and I have to go to school first thing in the morning otherwise I'd type more for this. :D:D Well I hope that you all liked this first chapter and will all leave nice reviews for me to want to keep on writing. :D:D Please R&R and I'll update when I get the chance. :D:D


	2. The Darkness

Hello everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated and I'm really sorry. I just having been all there lately and I freely admit that it is my own fault. For that I apologize to my faithful readers who still check every day on whether or not something's been updated. Whether you do that or not I have no idea. Lol. Again I apologize for the wait, and I hope that this new chapter makes up for it. Thank you all to those who have read and reviewed, I hope that you especially enjoy this new chapter. :3

**The Darkness**

It was mid afternoon as I left Sunset Hill. It was starting to become the boring same scenery though it seemed endless… the endless possibilities that came from that while just thinking was amazing. Just the thought of what else could be out there always got my hopes up… that I would **never** have to go back home again. That excited me to no end, and no one could have understood how much I wanted to escape.

I sat on the train in silence, waiting to get to the station. It wouldn't take long… it never did. _'I wonder what they're doing right now…' _It didn't matter how hard I tried, I could not take my mind off the tall red head. I saw him as my _'savior'_… the one who would be able to release me from my parents, despite my dream. My parents would always be my parents, no matter how much I tried to deny it. I couldn't get myself out of this jam… but someone else could.

"_**We are about to arrive at the station. This shall be the last ride of the day,"**_ the conductor told everyone.

"Good," I mumbled, waiting for the train t stop.

I wanted to get off and go to the Tram Common… I wanted to see him more than anything. I didn't care if he came to talk to me or not, just so long as he came and I saw him. Maybe it was just a simple obsession, but I didn't care. If it was just an obsession, then it would just go away and it wouldn't matter to me.

As I stepped out of the train and looked around, there was Seifer. He was leaning against the back wall with crossed arms. His blue eyes darted towards me and I cocked an eyebrow. _'Why is he here? This place is so open that he'd be found so easily…' _

"What are you doing here?" I asked him with a cocked eyebrow.

"Waiting," he told me with a slight smirk.

'_Waiting?' _

"You weren't at the Tram Common today and Rai said that you were here," he told me, "I wanted to know what the slacker was doing today."

"You were looking for me?" I asked, extremely confused.

"No," he disagreed, looking away from me.

'_Then why would he be waiting here?' _

"There was an attack today in the Sandlot and I was wondering if you had been involved," he explained with a rather cold tone.

I raised both brows with surprise. _'…An attack?' _

"Who did it?"

"We don't know, but I think that it had to do with those three newcomers that passed by," he explained with a slight scowl.

'_Three?' _I wondered, thinking about three people. _'It couldn't have been them…' _

"How they acted… it really ticked me off," Seifer practically growled at the thought of them, "especially that short one."

'_Wow… I don't ever think that I've seen him so mad before. That blond boy must not have been very pleasant…' _

"Just be careful Ixaon," Seifer warned me, "No one wants to end up in that kind of danger."

He got off the wall and hit his chest with a fist twice and a serious face before walking away and laughing slightly. I watched him leave the station with a small smile. _'I guess someone has to care.' _I walked out after a few moments and could smell the scent of Twilight Town. Even if it was a town, the air still smelt fresh.

"I don't think that it was them that did it…" I whispered to myself, thinking about it.

Just by how they looked together… hoe those three acted together made it seem like they were the nicest people ever. Though, I could just be judging a book by its cover. I didn't know them at all. _'I don't know how they act…' _

I stared out over the station ledge, watching the sun slowly go down. It was always a wonderful sight; the notion that the night was coming. I loved the night… the fact that nothing could happen if you were asleep… nothing but a dream.

With a small sigh, I walked on without another thought to see them again and I was hoping they were there. _'I just want to see him… I don't care if he says anything… just to know that I'm not going crazy.' _I ran down that brick hill, going towards the Tram Common. Then the world stopped as I ran into something. A hand took hold of each wrist and pushed me back slightly.

"You running from trouble?" an unfamiliar voice asked me.

I looked up and saw the tall blond with a mullet standing there. His blue eyes were curious as they looked into my surprised red ones.

"N-no," I said nervously, nearly forgetting on how to speak.

"Oh hey," he said with a grin, "You're that girl from yesterday that was witting at the Tram Common!"

"I-I guess so," I laughed slightly.

'_Why am I so nervous? I don't get it' _He let go of my wrists before looking rather thoughtful.

"What's your name?" he asked.

"Ixaon…"

"Ah, okay. I got to run," he said with his grin still on his face, "I have to find someone."

He ran up the hill and disappeared around a corner to the station.

'_That was a little random… I didn't even get to learn his name.' _I had the erg to follow after him to see where he was going, but I had a feeling that he wouldn't be there. _'Just like that red head last night…' _I didn't know how they did it, but somehow they just seemed to disappear.

"Like in the darkness…"

My eyes widened slightly at those words. It was a realization… like I had missed something the whole time. _'The darkness… They came when the sun was going down.' _That meant that their _'business'_ had to do with the night time… didn't it?

"I hate this," I mumbled, messing up my hair before sitting down beside the locked cart.

I hated thinking about possibilities and I just acted like I didn't care what happened… mostly because I didn't. My parents wouldn't have cared… they wouldn't have someone to blame their faults on. If something bad happened and I never made it back home, I would have no one to care.

Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes as the buildings began to cast their shadows. If there was only one, then that meant that they all weren't there? I didn't know.

"You know," a voice said with some amusement, "Sitting on the ground doesn't seem to suit you."

My eyes opened with surprise and my head jerked to look who was there. It was the spiky red head in the black coat. His arms were crossed as he looked at me rather intently. _'Why does he look so… intense?' _

"But I like the ground," I told him with a small smile.

"Oh really?"

"Why else would I sit on it all the time?"

"There aren't exactly chairs to sit on, now are there?" he mused a little.

There was something about his face that told me there was something bothering him… like he knew something was going to happen that no one else did.

"I guess not," I laughed slightly.

'_It's almost like he's worried about something.' _I didn't know what was really bothering him, but I didn't think it right to ask. It probably had nothing to do with me anyway… so what reason would he have to tell me?

The red head sat down beside me and stared ahead of us.

"Are you waiting to go home again?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Nope," I said with a small grin, "At least not right now… I came to see if you were going to come back to Twilight Town again today…"

"Why would you go looking for me?"

"You're all very… interesting," I explained with slightly furrowed eyebrows, trying to think on how to put it in proper words.

"The darkness is not something you should go looking for," he told me, looking away with a rather solemn expression.

I didn't know what to say to those words, because what could he have to do with the darkness? I didn't know. But that was when another interesting thought came to mind.

"How did you know where I was?" I asked curiously.

The red head's lips seemed to twitch slightly. I began to wonder why before he looked towards me again and made me pause with the look in his near green eyes.

"Demyx told me where he saw you," he mused slightly, "He came into the mansion saying that he had seen you again. So I came looking."

'_The mansion? But the mansion is all the way through the Tram Common… and that blond went the wrong way. How is that possible?' _My eyebrows furrowed slightly at the thought before I shook it off and smiled slightly.

"Why would you come looking for me?"

The red head didn't seem surprised by this question. He just laughed a little to himself before he looked ahead of us with a slight smile.

"To see how you were doing," he told me, sounding honest, "There was that attack earlier, wasn't there?"

'_How did he know?' _I was caught off guard by his question and looked away to hide my surprise.

"How did you find out?" I asked quietly.

"Let's just say that one of our friends got loose."

"That doesn't sound like a good thing…"

"Not really," he laughed, "But we got it under control before anything bad could happen."

I began to feel unsure that I was sitting here with him. Could he really have been that dangerous? Something told me that he was… and at the same time, he wasn't. _'Then why don't I feel that I should run away?' _

"I'm sorry, but you should get home now Ixaon."

"Why?"

The red head was getting to his feet and was turning to walk away. It didn't seem like I was going to get an answer.

"Can I at least know your name?" I asked with a pleading tone.

I didn't want him to leave so soon… I didn't want to go home.

"The name's Axel, got it memorized?"

"Axel…" I whispered his name and zoned out slightly, only to notice he was already gone.

'_His name's Axel… it suits him I guess. Axel had read hair… Demyx has long blond hair… and now I just need to meet the younger one; the one who always seems to scowl.' _I got to my feel and stretched – arms reaching above my head – to feel my back straighten out a little.

"That's better," I whispered before my red eyes looked around the area.

It was very empty and the sun was nearly set. Everything was becoming dark which surprised me. _'Did we really talk for that long?' _The question seemed unimportant when I felt a cold chill go down my spine. A cold chill was never a good sign.

"I guess I really should… go home."

The word seemed so hateful to me. How could a place like that be called home? I just couldn't seem to grasp the idea of a real home. A home was supposed to be a place where you felt safe and welcome… not scared and hated.

I began to nearly run home. I had a strange feeling that I wasn't the only thing out there right now. Tonight, there was definitely more than just me walking the streets. There was something different about tonight's darkness… something more eerie than usual.

"The house would be nicer," I whispered before I reached the closed door to our house.

I placed my hand on the cool metal of the doorknob and opened it cautiously. It was quiet for once and it made me on edge even more. As I closed the door and turned back around, my mom was standing right there. I jumped with surprise.

"H-hi mom," I said nervously, leaning against the door.

"Where were you last night?" she asked with furrowed eyebrows and crossed arms.

Her dark eyes were furious.

"I don't know," I replied half honestly.

'_Dad must either not be home or is in the shower…'_

I couldn't describe the fury that seemed to play across my mother's face. I had not come home at night many times and had just fallen asleep while I was waiting to go home. My mother never really said anything about it unless she didn't have my father to yell at.

"Why don't know you know Ixaon? Were you at some boy's house?" she nearly spat at me.

"No mom," I told her, my red eyes not able to look at her directly.

"Then why didn't you come home?"

Her voice was being raised both in volume and tone. Something had ticked her off more than usual. Today, I just happened to unluckily be the target.

"I'm sorry that I don't come home from school everyday to listen to that," I told her coldly, pushing off the door and walking around her to the stairs.

My mother was speechless. I had never fought back before, and I had never started shaking so badly before in my life.

My arms had started to shake first, followed by my legs. They couldn't stop quivering and I had no idea why. Why was I so scared to being with? Why had I said something back? I didn't know. All I knew was that I couldn't stop the tears from flowing once I reached my room and had the door shut as well as locked. _'I want out of here.' _I silently cried against the door, curled into a ball. _'I don't want to be here at all… I want to be with Axel or Seifer… o-or anyone else! I don't understand why they fight so much…' _I had a wall against these feelings. They were locked away to the corners of my heart where they couldn't get out. Sometimes a crack would form and I would break down until a few hours passed and the crack fixed itself. I felt like I was breaking.

"I don't want… to be here," I whispered to myself, pulling my legs closer to my body.

"_It's okay Ixaon, we understand," _Axel's voice repeated my dream.

"Someone…" I couldn't finish the sentence.

I wanted freedom… to get away from this place.

"_Come with me Ixaon…" _his voice seemed to whisper into my ear, _"Come to the darkness."_

It felt like something grabbed my right knee and I opened my eyes. No one was supposed to be in my room, and there wasn't. On the floor beneath me, a black pool had formed. _'What the…' _I jumped to my felt and jumped over it to get away.

"What is that?" I asked myself as I stood near my bed and watched the black pool cautiously.

There were black things coming out, almost like arms, grabbing at anything they could. _'So that was what grabbed my leg…' _I looked at it warily and backed away a little bit more. The feeling that was coming from that dark blob was nearly the same as the one from outside. _'What should I do? Go out the window? ...Back downstairs? …Where?' _I could feel my hear pounding in my chest with some fear. What was this thing? What lay behind it was a little frightening to me… especially the thought of what could come out.

A head came out and there stood a tall woman with nearly pink hair and was wearing a black coat like Axel. _'Big lady…'_

"W-who are you" I asked, backing away more towards the window.

"You're the one he's interested in?"

My eyes widened slightly with surprise. This wasn't a lady and I started to laugh to myself. _'He looks like a girl!' _

"Who's **'he'**?" I asked with a cocked eyebrow.

The tears had stopped in my eyes, but I had a feeling that it was only because I had been scared by this stranger.

"You were willing to come to the darkness. What could he possibly see in you?"

His voice was cold and rather frightening. His tone frightened me.

"I should just send you to oblivion here and now."

A pink scythe appeared with something that was attached to the side. I would have laughed if it wasn't being directed towards me. _'Go out the window! Move Ixaon, move your legs!' _

"Hold that thought," I told him before I quickly climbed out the window and jumped to the street below.

I didn't know where I was going to go, but I knew that I had to get away from the man with the large scythe. _'Send me to oblivion? What was he trying to do? Did I do something wrong? I don't want to disappear!' _I was panicking - possibly overreacting – I knew I was. The tears started to flow more than they should have. For what reason, I didn't know. I was stuck between fright and the crack in my wall… It hadn't fixed itself yet. There hadn't been enough time for that.

My sight was blurry from the tears that continued to form in my eyes. I closed them to wipe the tears away with my hand, but someone caught my hand to stop me. It took me a few moments of struggling to realize that the one who stopped me wasn't trying to hurt me. _'Who is it?' _

"What are you running from?" his cold voice asked me when I stopped fighting.

I looked back and saw Seifer standing there, his blue eyes intense. I couldn't stop the tears when I saw his face. I wasn't sure on why, but I felt safe for a moment. I felt secure.

"I'm sorry," I apologized, trying to wipe the tears away, "b-but I can't go home… it's not safe there."

"Don't apologize, Ixaon," another voice said from in front of me, "You can let her go. I'll take care of her."

'_Axel? W-why is he here?' _

"Why should I listen to someone like you?" Seifer asked coldly, "You're not even from around here."

"I-it's okay Seifer… I know him," I tried to sound assuring, but I was sure I wasn't.

"Whatever, just stop running around at night. It's not safe."

His strong grip let me go and he left, going the way I had come from. When he was gone, Axel was standing in front of me and he held his arms open.

"No more crying for the little red head."

I started to cry again, only this time in the comfort of someone's arms.

**End of Chapter 2**

Hey again, so how was it? I thought it was good to mix all the emotion and stuff in there. You all got to see Ixaon's home life and I hope that none of your home lives are like that. I have a deep understanding on what growing up in an arguing environment can do to you, so I thought that I would put it in here. :D Yes, this is where I like to put all my sad stuff. Lol. Well I hope that you all enjoyed it and that you will all be there for when I update the next chapter. :D If it's not soon the happy holidays everyone!


	3. The Crazy Ones

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated this fanfic, so I decided to update just for everyone. :D:D I had a day off after school so I decided, why not update something? So this led me to update this one. :D:D I really like writing this fanfic. It lets me get a lot of things out. Lol. Anyway, thank you all to those who have read and reviewed so far, you all make me really happy. :3:3 :D Now, go enjoy the new chapter! 

**The Crazy Ones**

Axel had stayed with me through my panicking moment and fear. He had been kind enough to let me cry into his chest… to tell me that whatever it was, it would be alright. I wasn't too sure that everything would have been _'alright'_… it was never alright. The crack in my wall had always gotten bigger each time it formed. I wasn't too sure on how long I could last before the entire thing collapsed and left me broken with the pieces. 

"Why don't we go somewhere for you to get some sleep?" Axel asked me quietly, "you must be tired at this point."

I shook my head. I didn't want to sleep, at least not right now. Was it the fear of the pink haired man that kept me awake? Or the panic of what was to come once I returned home? I didn't know, and deemed it so I didn't care to know. _'I don't want to believe that he was real…'_ I closed my eyes tightly at the thought. 

Both Axel and I had began walking; to where didn't seem to matter. The tall red head had his arm wrapped around my shoulder as we walked. I didn't really care if Axel was really a bad guy because he didn't seem like one… at least not to me. If he was planning to kidnap me and lock me away somewhere, I was sure that I wouldn't have cared. He would still be saving me from my prison at home. 

"So what happened exactly?" Axel asked, his voice sounding almost cautious. 

The tears had stopped for now, and for that I was rather grateful. 

"My parents… they fight a lot," I whispered, opening my eyes slightly to see where we were going. 

'_Why are we going to the old mansion?'_

"They fight every time I open the door…" 

Axel's green eyes looked at me with concern. That wasn't natural. Sure families fought sometimes… but not every time someone went to walk through the door. At least that was what he believed. 

"Well," he started, thinking something through his head, "You don't have to go through **that** door anymore if you don't want to."

I almost cocked an eyebrow at his words. What was he saying? 

"I don't think I understand," I whispered quietly. 

We were right in front of the entry way to the forest; the large hole in the concrete wall. The mansion lay beyond those trees…

"You can come with us," Axel suggested with a slight smirk. 

'_Go with them? Does he mean that I wouldn't have to stay here anymore? Or does he mean something else?' _

"We're going to stay the night somewhere anyway."

A black doorway opened in front of us – much like the one that the pink haired man came out of – and Axel led us straight through into the darkness. 

Demyx sat in the rolling computer chair, spinning senselessly on its wheels. He was bored and Roxas wasn't being much fun anyway. 

"Where's Axel?" Demyx whined as he stopped spinning just to look at the smaller blond. 

"I don't know," Roxas stated rather coldly; his arms crossed over his chest. 

"That's just plain rude," Demyx complained as he turned away from the short one. 

Roxas shook his head with thoughts running through his head… thoughts of wanting to make the Sitar wielder be quiet. They were too violent to be written. 

"What are you guys arguing about now?" Axel's voice said through the darkness of the room. 

"Axel!" Demyx called happily as he got out of the chair. 

Roxas seemed to smile slightly. He knew Demyx was only happy because it meant that they could leave. At least that's what he thought before Axels made his appearance. 

Axel and I came through the doorway and I could feel the stares of the two blonds. One was more intense than the other. The shorter one, Roxas, looked a little angry when I came through and it sent panic through me. What reason could he have to be angry already? Did I really make people mad by just making an appearance? 

"I'm assuming that we can't leave now," Roxas murmured rather coldly. 

Axel shot him a look before laughing slightly, "You two can leave if you want to. You didn't have to wait."

"But you told us to wait," Demyx nearly protested. 

"That doesn't mean you have to listen."

"Yes it does," Roxas stated, "You're our superior. We have to listen to what you tell us."

'_Is he always like this? Roxas seemed so… cold in ways.'_ I looked at the floor with some shame; I was going to be a problem for them. 

"What's got your hair in a knot?" Axel asked with a slight smirk, "You're not usually like this Roxas."

"Lose the girl and I'll go back to normal." 

Demyx seemed to make a face at their tones and it was their tones that drew my attention. I knew I was the problem, but was I really that big of one? Did my presence really cause so many problems for everyone? 

Axel's hand seemed to tighten around my shoulder and it surprised me as I looked up at him. His eyes were watching Roxas intently… with a rather solemn expression on his face. _'They're friends and they're fighting because of me…' _

"I'll just… go home," I told Axel, ducking out under his arm. 

'_I don't know where I am, but I'm sure I could find a way out of here…' _

"Ixaon, you don't have to-"

"It's okay Axel," I told his quietly, not looking him in the eye, "I can live a night at home."

I went towards the door we had come in through and out to a metallic square under the floor. There were stairs leading up, so that's where I went. Was he going to follow me? Were they all going to follow me? Or were they all going to stay where they were? I didn't know and deep down, I kind of hoped that Axel wouldn't follow me. His friends would be more important. 

"He'll be better off… without me there," I told myself as I went out of the small library and into the main part of the old mansion. 

I went down the two sets of stairs and slowly walked to the middle of the room. That was until I got a cold chill down my spine, and ran out of the mansion. _'"It's the same feeling that I had when I was walking home… I don't like it at all.'_ I ran through the forest and out of the hole in the wall. Where I was going to end up was up to my feet. I definitely wasn't going home. 

* * *

Darkness appeared from the floor of the house in the alley. Someone stepped out silently and looked around the part of the house. 

"It's quiet," he whispered to himself. 

Quietly, he went up the stairs and peeked into open rooms. None of them belonged to the small red headed girl. Then a closed door at the end of the hall drew his attention. 

"It's always possible…" he murmured to himself as he took steps towards the door. 

A path of darkness opened and he walked through it, coming out into the room. 

It was dark, but he could tell that a few things had been pushed over by something and the bed covers were a mess. 

"So much for going home," he sighed before opening another door of darkness. 

He was going to find her, and he wasn't giving up till he had. 

First he went to the sandlot, only to find it completely empty. Even the blond named Seifer wasn't on duty. Then he went to Sunset Hill, and again saw nothing but the green glow of the ongoing horizon. The nothingness sent him to the Tram Common. Again he saw nothing. 

"She lied to me…" he whispered to himself rather solemnly. 

It was bad enough to lie, let alone to someone who actually cared. That was what he thought anyway. Though he knew she had good reasons to not actually go home. Who would want to return to a place like that willingly?

"Only one place left," he told himself as he began to walk up the hill to Station Heights where he could go to the back alley. 

In the short time that he had come to Twilight Town, he knew every crevice and corner. He had it memorized. 

As he walked inside the small hang out behind the fence, he already saw the red headed girl lying on the couch. She was curled up, facing the back of it as she slept peacefully. 

"I guess this is the only sheltered place you could go," he whispered, quietly walking to stand beside the couch.  
"Axel…" he heard her murmur in her sleep. 

This grabbed hit attention a little more; it made his almost green eyes soften slightly. She was dreaming about him in her sleep… 

"I shouldn't get attached to you," he whispered to himself, placing a hand on her shoulder. 

* * *

_**Switch P.O.V.**_

* * *

I felt someone's hand on my shoulder and it drew my attention to awake. _'Did I go home? Am I on my bed? Am I on the couch at home? Where did I run to?' _I really had let my feet go wherever they needed to go. I didn't know where they had taken me to, only the fact that I was somewhere. 

"Where am I?" I mumbled quietly, opening my eyes.

The room was dark, but I knew someone was still there. 

"Not at home," a voice told me rather sternly. 

His tone confused me. He sounded upset for some reason. I didn't know why. 

"…Where?" I asked with confusion, furrowing my eyebrows. 

"You're in the hideout in the back alley. Why didn't you go home?" 

'_Is that Axel? Why is he here? Why… why __**would**__ he be here?' _With a slight sigh, I rolled onto my back and looked up at Axel's face. 

"I didn't know where I was going," I admitted quietly, "I guess that this place seemed to be the most reliable…"

"You could have stayed Ixaon," he told me quietly, his eyes looking to the side. 

"You were fighting with your friend because of me," I stated quietly, "I couldn't do that to you."

Yes, I wanted Axel to save me from my prison – my home – but I didn't want him to lose friends over me. His happiness was more important than my own. 

"He was just in a bad mood," Axel told me, his almost green eyes falling back on me. 

They had some amusement in them. Why was that amusing? How was it amusing? I didn't know. I just knew that Axel seemed to find something funny. 

I sat up and placed my palm on my forehead. There was a slight throb at the movement and I hoped that the hand would stop it. 

"What's wrong?" Axel asked me with concern in his voice. 

"Nothing," I mumbled, dropping my hand onto my lap, "I just haven't been sleeping properly." 

For a moment, things were silent. The only sound that could be heard was the clock tower above the station ringing for twelve o'clock. _'Is it really that late at night?'_ I wondered with some confusion. 

"Ixaon," Axel said quietly as his hand took hold of mine, "Come with me."

"Go with you?"

At those words, a flash of darkness seemed to pass through my mind; followed by the dark look on the pink hair man's face. I jerked slightly, which pulled my hand out of his. It was dark, but light enough so that we could see each others facial expressions. Axel's eyes looked a little hurt as well as confused. 

"What's the matter?" he asked again with some worry. 

"I'm sorry," I whispered, wincing at the memory of the pink haired man. 

Axel placed his hand on my head and ruffled my hair slightly. 

"It's okay Ixaon. I'm basically a stranger to you," he told me quietly, "I shouldn't expect you to say yes."

He turned to the side and went to get up.

"No!" I cried, lunging for his hand and grabbing it, "That's not it. That's not it at all. Please don't leave!"

I only had two of his fingers, trying to stop him from leaving. _'It's the darkness… I don't want to find that man there…'_

"Please don't leave," I begged, feeling something clutching at my heart, "You're the only person I trust… You and Seifer are the only people I can consider friends. Please… I don't want to lose that."

I could feel the tears welling up inside me, but I refused to cry. They were coming to my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Was this feeling friendship? Was it trust? Was it something stronger than that? I didn't know… all I knew was that my insides would turn and be crushed if Axel were to leave. 

"I shouldn't be doing this," Axel whispered, not moving as he had his back turned to me, "You're whole and are becoming attached… I don't have a heart and I need you to be with me. I should not be getting attached to you."

'_He doesn't have a heart? What does this mean? How could he not have a heart and still be standing there?' _

"It's not you that mad me jerk away Axel… It's the darkness, and that man… I'm sorry," I whispered, about to let go of his fingers. 

His hand tightened around mine to stop me from letting go. 

"He won't come after you again. I promise you that," he assured me rather quietly, "And Roxas is just in a bad mood because the Organization is giving him a hard time lately."

I looked at him with a cocked eyebrow as he turned back to me. _'What's the Organization? Is that his job?' _

"You can decide Ixaon. I will not force you. When you decide, come to the mansion," he explained, loosening his grip on my hand, "I have to go now, so I'll see you around."

Axel ruffled my red hair against before walking out of Pence's hang out. 

When I saw Axel leave, I got off the couch and ran after him. _'I don't want to be left alone… I should have gone with him.'_ But by the time I got to the fence, he was gone. There was rain again and it was pouring rather roughly. _'I know it's the rainy season, but still… It rains about every other day.' _

"I wonder… how he does that," I whispered to myself, standing in the rain, "It's like he just disappears."

It didn't take long for my hair to get soaked and to cling to my face. 

Slumping against the fence pole, I sat down on the wet brick walkway. It didn't matter if I got wet even more because I was wet anyway. _'Maybe I should go somewhere else… or maybe I should stay here… I don't know what to do anymore.'_ I pulled my legs to my chest and leaned my head against my knees before closing my eyes. Why did everything always fall apart? Everything good that happened to me had always either left or fell apart on me. _'Why am I so worthless?' _I started to fall asleep again, and it didn't take long for everything to be silent. 

Morning came too suddenly as my foot was kicked. My red eyes jerked open and I was greeted by a black pair of pirate like boots and brown pants. _'Who's that?' _

"Why are you sleeping outside?" a familiar voice asked me rather coldly. 

I looked up with realization and saw Seifer standing there with crossed arms. His blue eyes were watching me intently and it drew my eyes away. I didn't want to see that look on his face; like he was expecting something. To the side, Rai and Fuu were standing and watching closely. 

"I fell asleep," I told him, narrowly looking to the side, "Nothing more than that."

"Let me rephrase that," Seifer stated coldly, "Why are you asleep outside _**alone**_?" 

Understanding flowed through me as he said 'alone'. When he had left the night before, he left me in the care of Axel.

"He had to go," I stated, "it's not his fault."

"Why is this turning into such a problem?" he asked, glaring at the brick wall. 

My eyes widened with fear before falling to a solemn expression. _'He's right… I really am nothing but trouble…'_

"I'm sorry," I whispered, slowly getting to my feet, "I'll get out of your way then."

I started to take the back alley to the Station Heights, my head hanging down rather tiredly. 

"Ixaon," Seifer's voice called after me, trying to get my attention. 

I didn't stop, just kept walking. _'Even Seifer thinks that I'm trouble… How very wonderful…' _As I kept going, two hands took hold of my shoulders and turned me around, pinning my back to a wall. 

It was Seifer pinning me to the wall. Rai and Fuu were gone. _'He must have sent them away… Why would he do that though?' _My red eyes looked up at him warily and I saw that his blue eyes were staring down at me intently. 

"Why did you keep walking?" he asked me rather sternly, his hands still on my shoulders. 

"You're mad," I stated quietly, my eyes darting away from his, "I don't like being around when someone's upset that way…" 

'_I don't like it because it reminds me of home… Arguing just brings me back home again…' _

"I'm not mad," Seifer told me, hands tightening on my shoulders, "The fact that he just left you here… it just ticks me off."

"I left him first," I nearly whispered, "I'm trouble for everyone and… and I know that I am. Nobody wants me around… nobody cares."

"Aw, that's not very nice," a familiar voice said rather playfully, "We care."

Seifer looked to the side and his eyes narrowed; they were careful. This caught my attention and I looked to see who was standing there. 

Demyx was standing there with Roxas beside him, who was glaring at the brick wall with crossed arms. The tall blond waved with a smile before looking back at Seifer with a slight grin. 

"Uh, hi," he laughed nervously, "We'll be taking out friend back now."

"I don't believe that she's your friend," Seifer retorted coldly, stepping between me and the two blonds.

'_Why is Seifer being so overprotective? ...I don't understand. He has no reason to be.'_ I looked at Seifer with confusion and then at Demyx. They were both staring at each other, blue eyes intense. Roxas shook his head and stepped forward. 

"Just let us take her and go. She may not be my friend, but our… superior wants her to join us," he stated, walking towards Seifer. 

Seifer glared defiantly and Demyx looked as if he was going to launch forward to stop the shorter blond. 

"Hey… R-Roxas!" Demyx called after him. 

Seifer watched the short blond carefully before smirking. 

"What's a lamer like you going to do?" he asked, seeming to be amused. 

"Whatever it takes to follow my orders," Roxas said darkly, glaring up at Seifer. 

Roxas was shorter than Seifer – who was around Demyx's height – and he was also shorter than me by a few inches. I could see why Roxas wasn't being considered a threat. He was small and young; Seifer was tall and older… and well built. _'This could get kind of messy I suppose…' _

"Um… is this really necessary?" I asked quietly with a slightly cocked brow. 

"Yes," both Roxas and Seifer replied immediately. 

Why were they glaring at each other? Why did they have to cast snide comments back and forth? I didn't know. _'These two shouldn't be together like this…' _

Demyx walked forward and walked around Seifer and Roxas slowly. When he got around to me, he placed a hand on my head to ruffle my hair. 

"How about we get out of here?" he asked with a grin. 

He held out a gloved hand to me and I was rather hesitant. Who was this superior they were talking about? Was it Axel… or someone else?

"Would Axel be there?" I asked curiously. 

I wanted to know… it wouldn't be the same if he wasn't there. 

"He's not there right now, but he will be," Demyx assured me, "So would you like to come with me?" 

'_He's not there right now… but he will be…'_ Hesitantly, I took Demyx's hand and he opened a dark portal, and we went through. That left Seifer and Roxas where they were. 

'_Sorry Seifer.'_

**End of Chapter 3**

So, how was it? Did you all like that one? I liked it. :3 Probably because I wrote it… but that's beside the point 'cause I don't always like everything I write. Sometimes what I write I think get kind of boring, like my Naruto fanfic… that kind of hit a boring spot… 

This chapter had a little bit more in it… It's getting things going and stuff like that. I didn't want to rush into this one… so I don't know how that's turning out. Lol. I hope that the next chapter will have lots in it too. xD Anyway, thanks again for reading, and I hope to see some reviews. :3:3 Since I enjoy them so much. Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can. :D:D :3 


	4. The Superior

Hey everyone! I know that it's been a while since I last updated this one. I was sitting at home with nothing to do and I thought, hey, I should update this since I have up to chapter 5 done. _Sweat drops _Lol. I'm having fun with this fanfic. I have some good ideas and stuff so I'm glad that it's going now. :3

Thank you all for reading and reviewing. It makes me happy to know that you all like it. :D So thanks again, please enjoy and please don't mind any spelling mistakes / grammar that you may find. Enjoy!

**The Superior **

We came out of the black abyss and into a white castle. You could feel the difference in the air from the dark to the different area. _'Where are we?' _My red eyes looked around the area to see a symbol on some walls; large symbols that acted like windows to see the outside. There was a shattered heart like moon waiting in the sky that was only moon on the outside and black near the centre.

"Where are we?" I asked, tearing my eyes away from the moon to Demyx.

"The World that Never Was," he replied with a small smile, "This is our world… the closest we could get to the darkness."

'…_The darkness? I don't understand…' _Demyx was holding my hand tightly as he led me up the glass stairway. Going through a door, Demyx pulled me ahead of him and let go of my hand as he put me into a room with three other people.

"Don't be scared," Demyx told me with a nervous laugh.

'_Yeah… that's assuring.' _My red eyes glanced at the three people. One was a tall man with long silver hair pulled back at the sides and vibrant orange eyes. Another man had an eye patch and black and white hair. The third one was Axel, who turned with surprise of seeing me standing there.

"Ixaon?" he wondered with surprise, taking a couple steps toward us.

I gave him an unsure look, showing him that I was scared. _'Why am I here right now?' _I was cautious as I made my way into the large room. I didn't want to have something jump out at me on my way in. I was sure that no one wanted that.

"Why is she here?" Axel asked; his voice almost angry.

"Marluxia told us about this girl," the long silver haired man stated, closing his eyes for a moment, "I thought it would be… necessary to bring her in."

"Yeah, she could have been a threat from the Heartless side," the man with the eye patch mused slightly.

I cocked an eyebrow at their conversation. What was the problem? Why was my presence needed here? Why did Axel sound so… angry? I didn't know. All I knew was that something was happening and I was somehow involved.

"Demyx… I thought Axel wasn't supposed to be here," I stated, looking back at the taller blond.

"He wasn't," Demyx laughed nervously.

'_I have a feeling that this isn't going to turn out the way it was supposed to…' _

"She's a normal teenaged girl!" Axel stated, his tone upset, "She has done nothing wrong!"

"Axel, here I thought **you** were a lot of red and black."

"Shut up Xigbar!" Axel growled threateningly.

"Sorry Number Eight, but I see no harm in talking about this little vixen," the man stated with a grin.

Axel seemed to snap and summoned two large spiked metal objects, which caused my eyes to widen slightly.

The silver haired man raised a hand, and turned his intense orange eyes on the tall red head.

"That will be enough Axel," he stated calmly, "I only wish to speak to her."

Axel seemed to mumble incoherent words as his weapons disappeared. He turned away from the two men and started to walk towards Demyx and me.

'_Is he alright?' _I cocked an eyebrow as I saw the look on his face. Axel didn't seem pleased at all. As he came closer, I took a couple steps forward.

"Axel…" I said quietly, worry on my face.

"Hey," he replied, eyes softening slightly, "Xemnas says that he only wants to talk… If he asks anything, make sure he knows that I approached you first, alright?"

'_Why does something like that matter?' _

"Okay," I agreed.

Placing a hand on my head, Axel ruffled my hair before turning to Demyx.

"You're going to be explaining this to me," the red head said sternly as he walked be the tall blond.

Demyx looked nervous as he waved to me before following after Axel. _'Maybe I'm a little bit too involved…' _

My red eyes were cautious as they moved from the closed door to the two men standing in the middle of the room.

"Come on little red!" Xigbar called, ushering me with his left hand.

Slowly, I made my way over to the middle of the large room. Along the way, the designs on the walls caught my eye and I couldn't help looking. _'This place… I wonder how long it took them to build it…' _

"No, on what circumstances did you meet Number Eight?" the silver haired man asked me, his voice stoic and emotionless.

'_This must be Xemnas…' _I swallowed nervously as I looked at the two taller men in black coats.

"I was just sitting outside when I saw them… And that night in the rain, Axel came to talk to me," I explained quietly, my eyes looking down instead of their faces.

"That's forward of him," Xigbar scoffed slightly, "Going into a girl's room at night."

At his words, I laughed slightly. _'Wow… this guy is strange.' _

"N-no," I laughed, "I was outside in the rain."

"I see," Xemnas stated thoughtfully, "What about any other encounters?"

"He… appeared at random times…"

Xigbar looked at Xemnas with a questioning gaze. He must have been thinking something.

"What about Marluxia?" the eye patched man asked.

"Who?" I questioned.

"The pink haired scythe carrier."

My heart began to pound at the mention of him. _'I knew I was into something…' _

"H-he came out through my room floor… I ran away from him," I explained, trying to push his words from my mind.

"That is all," Xemnas stated, "You maybe leave now."

Was that all that there was to ask? There wasn't anything more? Where was the point of that? I didn't know. I only knew that I could leave.

"A-all right," I agreed, turning to leave.

'_If there's nothing else then I want to leave…' _Slowly, I went for the doorway that I had come from… leaving the two men behind. _'I wonder if there really was a point in bringing my all the way here…' _My red eyes looked back and I saw that the two men were gone. I was alone in the room.

"How… do they do that?" I wondered quietly.

After a few moments, I continued out the door.

Outside on the glasslike stairs stood Axel and Demyx. Axel had his arms crossed as he didn't look at the taller blond. _'Did they fight?' _Demyx smiled when he saw me and came over right a way.

"I told you there was nothing to be scared of," he laughed with a grin on his face, "They just look scary."

"Then how come you were so scared?" I asked with a small smirk.

I watched as Demyx smiled sheepishly before ruffling my hair slightly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," I laughed as I made a face at him.

My red eyes looked over the side and locked with Axel's. His face looked worried, and I began to wonder why. There hadn't been much to worry about.

The tall red head came forward, and Demyx backed away slightly. _'I guess they really did fight…' _At the thought, my face dropped slightly. Fighting was a bad sign.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, shooting a cold look at Demyx.

"Yeah, I'm alright," I replied with a small smile.

It was nice… hearing that someone actually cared for once.

"Okay, I'm gone for a few minutes," Demyx murmured as he turned to the side and went over to the railing.

When Demyx was out of ear shot, I cocked a brow at Axel.

"Are you two fighting too?"

Axel shook his head, "No, I just spoke with him. He probably feels guilty about it now."

"Is he okay?" I wondered quietly.

"He'll be fine," the red head stated with a slight smile, "That's just who Demyx is."

'_Demyx seems to care about others a lot… His own well being as well.' _My red eyes looked into Axel's almost green ones.

"I have something I need to speak to you about Ixaon," Axel whispered to me as he placed a gloved hand on my head, "It would mean a lot to me if you would spend the rest of this day with us. That way I have the pleasure of making sure you make it home."

'_To make is home… I would rather not go home anymore. To stay with Axel instead would be a great honor…' _I smiled slightly at the thought. I hadn't really thought about just running and leaving home. At least not doing it to go with three strange guys in black coats.

"Well, I'm always willing to hear what you have to say," I said with a nod and a smile.

"I'm glad that someone will," Axel laughed playfully while dropping his hand, "I can barely get those two to do anything."

"I resent that," came a rather cold reply from behind Axel.

'_Roxas…' _I leaned to the side and peered behind the red head. Axel turned to the side as well, looking at the smaller blond.

"What happened to you?" he asked with a cocked brow.

Roxas had a bruise on his left cheek and his hair was messed up at the top. _'What happened to him?' _I wondered with slightly wide eyes. He was fine when we left him…

"I got in a fight with that stupid blond kid with the white jacket. He threw me around like I was nothing but a Heartless," Roxas seethed as he glared to the side, "I swear he won't win next time…"

Axel shook his head slightly.

"No need to diss the Heartless," Demyx laughed from the side, "They're not **that** weak."

"Yeah really," Axel agreed with a grin.

"You guys can laugh at it all you want, but it's not funny," the smaller blond stated with crossed arms.

'_I wonder id Seifer's okay…'_ My face became solemn at the thought. Seifer was pretty much the closest thing I could call a friend.

"Of course it's funny," Demyx laughed.

"Whatever," Roxas muttered, "What are we doing today?"

At the words, Axel seemed to grin. He had something planned.

"Today we shall dedicate to our special little red," the red head explained as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, "We're going to take her to a very special place."

"S-special?" I questioned with a cocked brow.

How was it possible to do something special for me of all people? I wasn't even special… I was just there. No one had ever deemed me special.

"You're joking right?" I questioned with a cocked eyebrow.

"You agreed to spending the day with us," Axel beamed, "So that's what you're gunna do."

'_I guess this couldn't really hurt anything…' _

"We're gunna have fun!" Demyx called from by the railing as he opened one of those dark doors.

"Okay Ixaon, cover your eyes," Axel whispered to me.

His warm breath and closeness send a shiver down my spine.

"Is this where you make me regret agreeing?" I asked rather playfully.

"You'll have fun. Trust me."

I watched Demyx go through first before I covered my eyes. _'I wonder where we're going…' _

Hands on my back pushed me forward; guiding me through the portal. My eyes were still covered when I came out the other side.

* * *

Axel was about to walk through the door of darkness when a hand grabbed his sleeve forcefully.

"What are you doing?" Roxas asked him with a furrowed brow, "You know that you can't get close to her."

"No… I **can** get close to her," Axel murmured quietly, "but I **shouldn't** get close to her."

Roxas didn't loosen his grip on the red head's sleeve.

"You can't do this Axel. Do you know what Marluxia is going to do to her if this continues?" the small blond asked, worry actually in his tone, "She's an outsider-"

Axel cut him off, "I know, Roxas. I know exactly what he's going to do. If he does hurt her then he will pay with his existence. It's because of that… that I'm doing this now."

Roxas loosened his grip on the taller red head at those words. If he understood then there was no more point in talking.

"Let's go then," he stated, walking ahead of the red head.

"Yeah."

* * *

I sighed slightly with my hands over my eyes. _'What are these guys getting me into?' _I could hear something off to the side… Was it the wind? Or was it something else?

"Demyx, where are we?" I asked curiously.

Then a hand touched my shoulder and another took my hand.

"You'll see," Demyx laughed slightly.

"You'll have fun Ixaon," Axel's voice said from right beside me, "Just trust me."

Fun… the word didn't even sound right. When was the last time I laughed wholeheartedly? Had I even ever had fun before? I didn't know, but it made me think about it. As we stopped, the hand patted me shoulder and that sound had become louder. _'What is that?' _

"All right, open your eyes."

My hands dropped and I was welcomed by blue waves of an ocean.

"Whoa," I whispered, looking at the far away horizon.

There was nothing but endless ocean.

"Welcome to Twilight Town's beach," Axel laughed with a grin.

I never realized that I had never actually been to the beach before… This was my first time. _'I guess that's kind of sad.' _I laughed inwardly at the thought.

"Why the beach?" Roxas asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"Why **not** the beach?" Demyx questioned the smaller blond.

"Oh, Demyx scores," Axel laughed with a wide grin.

I walked away from them and towards the shoreline. _'I wonder what the temperature feels like…'_ As I got to where the waves retreated, I knelt down and put my hand in the water. It was cool, but it wasn't freezing cold.

"That's funny," I mused slightly as the waves continued to come.

"What is?" Demyx asked from behind me.

As I looked back, I caught sight of Axel holding Roxas in a headlock. _'Boys are so strange sometimes.'_

"Just the water," I shrugged lightly, "I thought that it would have been colder."

"Well it is summer," the tall blond laughed as he took a seat beside me.

"I guess it is," I nodded.

The waves hit the shore and my shoes got wet along the bottom. It was a nice sound… and would have been nicer if Axel and Roxas weren't horsing around behind us. _'Oh well. What ever makes them happy.'_

"Oh hey, you know what would be really fun?" Demyx asked me happily, "Going swimming with all our clothes on!"

"With our clothes on?" I questioned awkwardly.

"Yeah, come on."

The tall blond grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. He pulled me into the small waves before going deeper off the beach. _'Is this kind of crazy? Have I really just lost my mind?' _I didn't want to believe that, but had to admit that maybe I had just gone crazy. It was always a possibility.

"Are you ready?" Demyx asked me, looking back with a grin.

"Ready for what?"

"That," he stated simply, pointing ahead of us.

There stood a large wave that was coming towards us. I was sure that it would have swept us away.

"Uh oh," I whispered with worried eyes, "Shouldn't we run?"

"No, this will be fun," he laughed pleasantly.

'_If you say so…' _

My red eyes watched cautiously, and before I knew it, the large amount of water crashed down on us. I could feel my legs being swept out from under me as we were pushed towards shore. Demyx's hand still held mine and we tumbled across the sand under water. _'This… is really insane. I can't believe this.' _Then the wave retreated and Demyx and I were left lying on our backs on the beach. As I stared up at the sky, a happy feeling grew inside me.

And I began to laugh.

"Told you that it was fun," Demyx mused as he let go of my hand.

"I'm sorry that I doubted you," I laughed as I rolled onto my side and continued to laugh.

I was wet and covered in wet sand and was actually laughing. _'I can't remember ever actually feeling like this… It feels so light.' _I smiled as my laughter died into small chuckles.

"Wow, so she does have a sense of humor," Axel laughed from the background.

"Seems that way," Demyx laughed as he got to his feet.

'_Maybe I am just a little crazy.' _As I pushed off the sand, I got to my feet with a smile on my face.

Axel still had a struggling Roxas under his arm in a playful headlock. I cocked a slight brow before running over to them. Both blue eyes and almost green eyes watched me as I went over.

"Hey Axel, can you carry a hundred forty-five pounds?" I asked playfully as I went behind them.

Probably… why?" he questioned.

I answered his questioned by jumping onto his back and wrapping my legs around his waist.

"Because I'm jumping on you," I laughed as he dropped Roxas.

The small blond fell forward onto the sand and looked back at us with slightly furrowed eyebrows.

"Well I hope you liked the water," Axel told me slyly.

"Why?"

"We're gunna hit another wave."

The red head grabbed my legs as he ran towards the water. When we were in deep enough, he threw me into the water before waiting. Another wave was coming.

* * *

At sunset, the four of us were all sitting on the beach, soaking wet and watching the sun. We were lucky to have a sunny day for once instead of a rainy one. _'That was the most fun I have ever had.' _I thought with a light smile on my face. My knees were pulled to my chest and I had my arms resting on them.

"Okay, well we should probably go back now," Roxas murmured to him self as he watched the waves.

"You and Demyx can go ahead," Axel stated as he got to his feet, "I'm going to take Ixaon home."

The two blonds nodded before a black portal appeared.

"Bye little red," Demyx waved before walking through.

"See ya," Roxas said before disappearing as well.

I smiled and waved at both of them as I was left alone with Axel.

He held a hand out to me with an expression on his face that I didn't understand. I took it willingly and he helped me to my feet.

"So, did you have fun today?" he asked me pleasantly.

"Yes actually," I replied with a slight laugh, "That's the first time I've ever been to the beach before."

"Really?" the red head asked with a cocked brow towards me.

"My parents never had the time, and they always fought anyway. My grandparents died a long time ago, and I don't know any cousins," I started with a small smile.

I thought it was funny that I could smile about such a thing. _'I guess it's just irony…' _

"When I started to wander around Twilight Town, I never went to the beach. I guess it just never occurred to me that I should," I finished, remembering all the times I just sat outside and waited.

"That sounds harsh," Axel murmured as we walked, "I thought I had a hard life… so I ran away and became one with the darkness. I became a Nobody… and became Axel instead."

'_Axel instead?' _I cocked a brow at his words.

"I'm not whole like you are, Ixaon," he continued rather quietly, "And because I am a Nobody - a being of darkness – it is not safe for you with me."

I wasn't really understanding, but I could feel something clench in my stomach. I didn't think that I would like where this was going.

"I don't want for you to get hurt," he told me, "That's the last thing I want."

A black door opened and he pulled me through it with him. We cam out in the alleyway in front of my house.

"I don't think I understand," I whispered as I looked up at him with slightly furrowed brows.

"I don't have a heart Ixaon," Axel stated as he pulled me to be in front of him, "I'm a Nobody, and Marluxia is a Nobody… Demyx and Roxas are Nobodies. We're not supposed to exist and yet we do. We're bad, Ixaon.

…Bad? No… that didn't sound right. Marluxia and bad sounded right. Axel, Demyx, and Roxas and bad didn't sound right at all. Couldn't there be good Nobodies too?

"Why does that make you bad?" I asked, worry in my eyes.

This meant that he was leaving… didn't it?

"Ixaon-"

"This means you're leaving, right? That's why today was so special?" I cut him off, feeling my heart ache.

'_I guess there goes my chance to get away… There goes my friend…' _

"So you figured it out, huh?" he asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"If you're not going to come back, then it's alright," I whispered, dropping me red eyes to the ground at the side.

'_Whatever makes him happy…' _

It was for my sake, wasn't it? He was only doing it to make sure I was safe… At least I knew that much.. _'It was foolish to think that I would get away…' _At the thought, I inwardly laughed at myself. I was a fool to think that I could get away.

"I'm sorry that you have to do this," I apologized quietly, "I'm sorry that I was a bother to you."

I turned away from Axel and went to willingly go home for the first time.

"Ixaon," his voice called after me, "If I had a heart… it probably would have belonged to you."

My eyes went wide at his words and I paused as I looked back at him.

He was gone.

**End of Chapter 4**

So how was it? Did you all like it? I had fun writing it, so I hope that you all liked it too. I think that this is one of my favorite chapters in this fanfic that has come out of my head so far. :3 :D I'm mean to all my OC's aren't I? _sweat drops again _Anyway, thanks again for reading this chapter and all the chapters beforehand. It makes me really happy. :3 Thanks again, and sorry for any mistakes. Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can.


	5. A Pirate's Life

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated this one. Like… two months now? o.O Wow, time really seems to go by really fast some times. Kind of feels like I just updated this not too long ago. xD Lol. So yes, the ending of the last chapter was rather sad and depressing but I think that you'll all like this one. It doesn't lighten things up any more though, not really any way. xD

Thank you all to those who have read and reviewed. You all make me really happy so yay to you! – dances – Lol. I thank you for your support and I hope that you all enjoy this new chapter. :3

**A Pirate's Life**

'_Of course he's not there… It doesn't take much for him to leave…' _I placed a hand on my heart and grasped at my red t-shirt. Now I knew what it was like to lose a friend.

As I made my way towards the door, I could feel my heart beating harshly in my chest. I was willingly going into the house without anything pushing me to. My room actually seemed to be my safest place at the moment. I couldn't do this anywhere else. Even the alleyway held memories. _'It was for my own safety…' _I tried to convince myself as my hand grasped the knob.

"Well it's not my fault she doesn't come home everyday," my father's voice could be heard as I opened the door.

"I'd assume that it is because she doesn't enjoy coming home to us fighting all the time!" my mother shouted back.

My red eyes widened slightly at her words. Why was she saying that? Why did that matter to her **now**?

I looked at my mother's back as she shouted up the stairs. Then footsteps were coming towards the stairway. My father got halfway down the stairs before our eyes locked.

"Ixaon…" he muttered, watching me almost coldly.

Again, this fight was caused by something **I **had done. _'Are these really what parents are like? Do all of them always fight all the time?' _My mother looked back at me with surprise; apparently not having heard me come in.

"Oh, honey I didn't know you were home," my mother said with a nervous smile, her tone almost gentle.

Again my eyes widened. Why was she trying to be nice? Where was the point? Why… now?

"Are you okay?" she asked me with a slightly cocked brow.

More confusion came at the question. Why try to be a family after seventeen years? Why not beforehand? Why was I such a problem for them?

"…Ixaon?" she prodded.

Tears had formed in my eyes as I watched her through narrowed orbs.

"No," I stated almost coldly, refusing to let my voice break, "I haven't been okay in a really long time…"

'_They don't care… neither of them ever did… and neither does anyone else.' _

"Just… leave me alone," I murmured, walking past her and going towards the stairs.

I wasn't going to be around them if they were going to be like that. As I reached my bedroom and sat on the floor against my bed, I closed my eyes and leaned my head back. _'I can't remember the last time we had a family outing… I wonder if we ever even had any at all.' _The though wouldn't have surprised me if it turned out to be true. _'The same goes for friends… When was the last time I ever went out with a friend? Or even gone on a school trip?' _I didn't know any answers to my questions… but there was never anyone to give those answers… No one ever answered back.

* * *

The first week passed slowly. Nothing had really happened after Axel had left. Seifer came around a few times, and he noticed the almost lost look in my red eyes. He had asked about it several times, but I had only told him that I was fine and that I wasn't causing any form of trouble. He told me that he was seeing me less and less at night, but the truth was that I hadn't been going home. The feeling was still odd… I didn't like the place at all.

The third week, I was still sitting around a lot, but sometimes I found myself wandering towards the old mansion. I'd make it to the forest entrance in the Tram Common before I turned back. One time on my way back, I saw Axel, Demyx, and Roxas walking towards the hole in the brick wall. Demyx and Axel waved with slight smiles. Roxas didn't give one; only cast a cold look. That was alright with me, though it was rather surprising. I didn't think that they would be around at all.

The fourth week was… different. Axel was showing up more and every time he waved with a slight smile. At home, things were seemingly quiet. My mother was home a lot while my father wasn't present much. When he was, there was hardly any yelling. My mother hardly ever got upset with me, or said anything bad; nor did my father. They hardly tried to blame every little thing onto me… they took responsibility for it. For the first time in a long time… I ate supper together with both of my parents. They were mostly silent through it, but it was different. I still didn't understand what was happening or why they were trying to change it all after seventeen years… but I knew that it was happening. I kept my distance from them. It was the only way I knew how to live in that house.

* * *

After a month and a half, I woke up curled in my bed sheets and my head on my pillow. _'This is so weird… I don't get it at all anymore…' _I furrowed my eyebrows slightly as I crawled out of bed. Waking up like that was so unnatural for me. It had almost been comfortable.

"It's… quiet," I murmured, red eyes looking around the room.

They caught sight of the calendar that hung off my wall. _'Two more weeks and school starts again…' _I didn't want to imagine what that would be like. Every year seemed to get worse as they went by. Grade nine had to have been my favorite year, since everything was new to me then.

"Oh well," I sighed before getting dressed.

I went out my window, not wanting to chance anything on something happening down stairs. Everything felt so unnatural and I hated it. It didn't feel right at all. _'I just don't get it.' _My parents had always fought for the past seventeen years, so why bother to change that now? Even Seifer seemed different. He was kind of… angry towards things. Rai and Fuu seemed to follow his suit more and were more on the tormenting side. It wasn't right because they weren't normally like that.

"It's just messed up," I mumbled while shaking my head slightly.

My red eyes stared down as I walked and pondered at the same time… bad idea on my part. I walked right into someone. I closed my eyes at the collision before shaking my head. _'Look where you are going Ixaon…' _

"Sorry, I wasn't paying attention," I apologized rather nervously.

"Don't worry about it so much little red," a rather familiar voice laughed slightly.

My red eyes widened as I looked up slightly. There stood Demyx, grinning at me.

"Long time huh?" he asked with a small wave.

"W-what are you doing here?" I asked with confusion.

What was happening to my life? Why was it being pulled upside down and inside out on me?

"Going for a walk," Demyx sated pleasantly, "What else would I be doing?"

'_Not being here?' _I questioned in my head. Axel was supposed to leave and not come back… Why did they seem to be coming back?

"I don't know," I mumbled, "I just thought… maybe you were working."

"I am working," he stated, "by walking."

'_That doesn't make much sense either…' _

"Sorry if I'm stopping you then," I apologized with a slight bow before stepping out of his way.

"No, not at all!" he exclaimed, "I meant to come see you. To make sure that you were okay. You seem kind of down every time we see you. Axel may not say anything, but I know he's aware of it too."

'_Axel…' _

My face dropped slightly at his words. Axel would know why I would be down. I barely knew him, but he knew me.

"I'm fine," I laughed slightly, shaking my head, "You shouldn't be so silly Demyx."

"Well I was the right guy for the job. I don't think Marluxia would have been a good welcoming party," the tell blond mused slightly.

My eyes widened slightly at the mention of the pink haired scythe wielder. _'If that's the case… then I'm glad that Demyx is here.' _

"Well I guess I should go," Demyx murmured, "I'm glad that you're okay Ixaon."

"Yeah," I nodded, forcing myself to smile slightly.

'_I'm tired of feeling this way…'_ The tall blond waved slightly before going on his way. I continued on mine as well.

'_Where am I gunna go today?' _I wondered with a small sigh. There wasn't many places to sit anymore without being caught by someone else. I didn't have much tolerance to be with anyone else lately.

"I wonder why that is," I murmured.

Everyone was so different anymore… and I actually hated it. It didn't make any sense. Had I missed something over the past month and a half? Was there something and I just hadn't noticed because I was out of it? I didn't know. I just knew that I hated it.

My legs led me to the train stated where I climbed up a bunch of stairs. I came out on the clock tower and my red eyes looked out over top of everything. I normally wouldn't have come to such a place, but what exactly was normal anymore?

'_Maybe it's just me that's going crazy… Maybe I actually lost it… I don't see why it's not possible with everything that has been going on anymore.' _I thought as I sat down and leaned back against the building. My feet hung off the ledge rather lazily as I stared out blankly. I felt like an abandoned, broken toy that had been put in a box. I didn't think that anyone could feel so empty before… so numb.

"I though Saïx was gunna eat us," a voice laughed from the stairway.

"Yeah," another voice laughed, "He's all bite and no…"

The voice trailed off as the owner came out the doorway.

It was Axel, and Roxas was with him; following. At the sight of Axel, I nearly jumped to my feet. In my surprise, I missed the edge of the clock tower and started to fall off. Red orbs locked with almost green ones and I saw his widen.

"Ixaon!" he called after me.

That was all I remembered before I was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Axel turned to Roxas after the door of darkness had closed after her.

"Where did you send her?" he asked the small blond, the sound of urgency in his voice.

"What are you talking about?" Roxas asked with a cocked brow.

"That door was yours wasn't it?"

"I don't have a reason to save her Axel. She had nothing to do with me," the boy stated almost emotionlessly, "I thought you did it."

At those words, a door of darkness appeared and Axel ran through it almost immediately. He knew who he needed to speak to about this. He knew who would want to target her of all people.

As he came out the other side, he saw the one he wanted to see standing between Vexen and Larxene.

"Marluxia," he growled, summoning his weapon as he grabbed the pink haired man by the collar, "Where did you send her?"

Axel's tone was threatening as he directed his weapon to Marluxia's throat. His almost emerald eyes became hateful when he saw Marluxia smirk slightly.

"So you knew it was me Number Eight?" the pink haired man almost taunted.

"My apologies for not being as dimwitted as you are," the red head retorted darkly.

"She's just a normal girl with a heart," Larxene stated with a shrug, "she shouldn't mean anything to you Axie."

"Shut up Larxene," Roxas threatened as he came through a door of darkness, "This has nothing to do with you."

"She was there for her own safety, Marluxia," Axel growled, "You had no right to interfere!"

Vexen seemed to laugh slightly. Axel had always thought that the Blizzaga wielding Nobody was a little insane.

"Your job was to test the technology, Number Eight," Vexen stated with a slight smirk.

"Yeah, not bring your dream girl into the virtual world," Larxene scoffed slightly.

"Shut up!" Roxas hissed, summoning his Keyblades and beating both Vexen and Larxene over the head with them.

Axel turned the point of his weapon to Marluxia's throat.

"Now tell me where she is, or you'll be going to a Nobody hospital for the dead," the red head threatened.

"She's at Port Royal," Marluxia stated with his own smirk, "Better hope that she's not dead before you reach her."

The tall red head punched the pink haired man in the stomach as his weapon disappeared.

"You better hope that that isn't the case."

* * *

I opened my eyes slowly, feeling water droplets hitting my face. _'It's raining…' _The sky was dark grey as the water fell from the sky. There was the sound of waves in the background and I didn't know why.

"Am I at the beach?" I wondered, sitting up unsteadily.

It had taken me a few moments to realize that the hard object I was on was moving up and down slowly. _'Am I… on a boat?' _I wondered with a cocked brow as I looked around me. The dark wooden shit moved slowly through the waves as it continued to rain.

"Where be Captain Jack?" a man's voice called through the grey light.

At the sound, I hid behind a wooden crate that wasn't too far from me. _'This scenery is so different… Where am I?' _

"He's in his quarters," replied another male, "Why do ya ask Barbossa?"

"Oh, I was just wondering if ye would like to join in on a little deal," the first voice replied, sounding amused.

"Aye, what form of deal?"

"Oh, just something I like to call… a mutiny," Barbossa stated with a slight laugh, "We mutiny against Jack and then sail to the Isle de Merta without him. Then we take all of the eight hundred eighty-two pieces of Aztec gold of Cortez himself."

'…_A mutiny? Does that mean that Captain Jack will be… betrayed?' _I wondered with a cocked brow.

"What do ye think?" Barbossa questioned the other male again.

"I believe that ya have yerself a good deal, Captain Barbossa."

"I think I like the sounds of that," Barbossa laughed slightly.

The voices faded slowly and I was left behind my crate.

"That doesn't sound very pleasant," I murmured slightly.

Someone was about to be betrayed by someone they trusted, and that didn't sound fair to me at all. _'Probably because life isn't fair…' _I closed my eyes at the thought. Not everyone could get what they wanted all the time. If they could… then the world would probably be a disaster.

"Aha!" a voice sounded loudly as a hand grabbed my shoulder, "So we have ourselves a stowaway."

"Uh oh," I muttered as the man took hold of my red shirt by the top of the sleeve.

'_I guess that maybe I'm in a place that I shouldn't be…' _

"Hello poppet," the same voice mused slightly.

"Captain Jack! We found ourselves a stowaway!" another voice sounded from beside the first man.

I was dragged down wooden stairs before being thrown to the ground in front of a dark bearded man.

"What's this?" the dark haired man questioned.

"She's a stowaway captain," stated the man that had thrown me down.

"Well obviously she's a stowaway, otherwise she would be on my ship," he stated.

I sat on my knees, looking up at him with a cocked brow. Where was this place? Who were these people? Were they pirates?

"We found her hiding behind a crate up deck," the skinnier man almost stuttered.

There was something weird about his eye… it was red and simply didn't look right.

"All right, you two may leave. She can stay here," the dark haired man instructed, using his hands to 'shoo' them away.

"But Captain Jack-"

"No, no. No arguments," the man continued, "She is a child. I think I can deal with her."

"Aye Captain," both the larger man and the skinnier man groaned at the same time.

They left from the stairs that they had come from.

The chair that Captain Jack was sitting on scrapped across the floor as he got to his feet.

"That's a lot of red you've got going on there, girly," he stated, walking around me slowly.

"Um, I don't know how I got here, but I didn't 'stow away' on purpose," I tried to explain, my voice rather quiet.

"You say that, but I think the question is, so you mean that?" Captain Jack asked me questioningly, "For all I know you could be another pirate trying to steal my ship from me."

'…_Pirate?' _I questioned, widening my eyes slightly.

"Barbossa!" he called loudly.

After a few moments, the man that was making a deal with someone else came down.

"Aye, Captain? Did ye call fer me?" Barbossa asked, looking directly at Captain Jack.

"Throw this young lass into the brig," Captain Jack stated, "Women on a ship is bad luck."

"It would be my pleasure, Jack," Barbossa said with a devious look on his face.

"But I didn't do anything wrong," I protested as Barbossa grabbed my wrist.

"Not yet ye haven't, but ye may," the man mused as I was led away.

I didn't fight as I was being pulled towards another part of the ship. _'The brig… that's a prison on a ship… We learned about pirates at school but they aren't around anymore. What's going on?' _

"There ye go miss," Barbossa stated as he opened the metal door; a cell door.

'_That's great…' _I thought rather dully as I walked in. As the door was locked behind me, Barbossa was turning to leave.

"I suggest that ye don't do anything rash, miss," he stated, his tone still slightly amused, "Ye wouldn't want anything happening to ye before we reached shore."

"What shore?" I asked, grabbing the metal bars to look through to the older man.

"The shore of the island Isle de Merta where there be a chest of Aztec gold," Barbossa explained as he turned around to me, "But ye wouldn't be needing to know that."

'_This man's really strange…' _

"…Why not?" I asked with a cocked brow.

"Why not indeed," the man laughed before turning and leaving the brig.

My red eyes wandered around the dark part of the ship. It was really gloomy compared to Captain Jack's quarters. I caught sight of something grey coloured that was full of holes in the cell across from me. _'What is that?' _It was all on piece from what I could see. Why would it be down here?

"Wait… is that… a skeleton?' I wondered, eyes widening slightly.

It was a skeleton; completely skin and goo free. _'Poor guy must have been in here a long time…' _

"Wow," I laughed sadly, "My life really has been flipped upside down."

**End of Chapter 5**

So… how was it? Was is okay? Was it better? Did Jack and Barbossa fir their personalities? I hope I didn't get it wrong. – runs from angry _Pirates of the Caribbean _fans – Lol. Well I hope it was up to all your standards and that you all enjoyed it. I'm liking where this one is going and I'm having fun with it, but that's just me. I don't know about you. So tell me! Tell me what you think. :D :3 Thanks again for reading! Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can. My apologies for grammar/spelling mistakes. My bad. :F


	6. Mutiny

Hey everyone! I know it's been a while since I last updated and for that I am really sorry. I've been busy lately and haven't really gotten around to getting onto my computer that often. I'M SO SORRY!! --sliding bow down--

Thank you all to those who have read and reviewed so far, you have made me really happen. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this chapter. :3

**Mutiny **

I sat in the corner of my cell with my knees pulled to my chest. My arms rested on top of my knees. In my head I was just sitting against a brick wall in the Tram Common; waiting. It was back when Seifer wasn't so angry and my parents were fighting again. It was sad, because to me… that was normal.

A loud banging sound brought me out of thought and I saw that I was only in the ship's brig. _'What was that sound?' _I wondered with confusion. Then it happened again, and again, and again… This was a pirate ship… so did that mean it was cannons? Were they attacking another ship? I didn't know. I really had no idea. If it was the cannons, then the other ship must have been relatively defenseless. This ship was taking no damage. _'I don't understand pirates. They work together on a ship but then someone wants the ship so they try to take it over. What's the point?' _

After a while, the cannons stopped and things were silent in the brig again. I was alone down here with skeletons. That was it; no one else.

"So you're still down here," an older man's voice laughed slightly, "I guess I can't say that I'm surprised."

My red eyes widened at the voice and I looked up. There stood a man with a bandana on his head and long brown hair. _'I didn't even hear him come in…' _

"Don't be afraid, miss. I'm not gunna hurt ya," he chuckled lightly.

"Who are you?" I asked with a cocked brow.

"The name's Bootstrap," he introduced himself, "How did a young miss such as your self end up on the Black Pearl?"

"I don't know," I admitted, trying to remember, "At one point I was falling off a clock tower. Then the next I woke up on this ship."

Bootstrap laughed at my explanation. Of course it would sound strange.

"Aye, that's a story is I ever heard one," he laughed.

This Bootstrap seemed different from Captain Jack and Barbossa. For some reason he actually seemed like a nice guy. Barbossa was creepy and Captain Jack… he seemed a little crazy.

"I know, I sound crazy," I murmured, furrowing my brows slightly.

"There are crazier things young miss," Bootstrap told me pleasantly; his laughter dying.

'_Is there?'_ I kind of doubted it.

"Sit tight miss. It shouldn't be long now," he told me as he turned to walk to the exit.

"What shouldn't?"

"The mutiny."

Then he was gone.

I remembered Barbossa talking to that other pirate. He had suggested a mutiny against Captain Jack. _'That can't be good… What's going to happen to me?' _With all that was going on around me, I didn't think that I would have liked to be a pirate.

* * *

Axel ran all through the town of Port Royal. There was no sign of the little red head anywhere. No one had even seen her. He stopped at the harbor and looked at the darkened waters. What if she had ended up on a ship? How could he find her then?

"Axel," Roxas called from behind him.

The tall red head turned to his best friend.

"No one has even seen her," Roxas told him, "Maybe we should just go back."

"Marluxia wasn't lying Roxas," Axel told him, his almost green eyes watching Roxas, "He was so sure of himself."

So sure that he had won.

"We won't be able to find her id she's on a boat Axel," the smaller blond told him, "There's no way."

"Then you can go back," the tall red head stated, "because I'm not giving up."

Roxas turned away, "Don't be stupid Axel."

The small blond walked through a door of darkness and disappeared.

Axel turned back to the ocean with slightly furrowed brows.

"Marluxia probably put her somewhere dangerous," he told himself rather thoughtfully.

If she really was on a ship, then it would have been a dangerous ship. All he had to do was find out which ships were the most life endangering.

* * *

I was half asleep when my prison cell door opened. The squeak of the hinges woke me up slightly. _'What's going on?' _I opened my eyes slightly, seeing blurry figures before me.

"Come on Poppet," one of the men from before called to me.

"Why?" I asked with confusion; yawning.

"The Captain calls."

At those words, the man seemed to laugh slightly. _'Why id the Captain so funny?' _I wondered with confusion.

"Quickly, Poppet! Quickly!" the man stated with agitation.

My wrist was grabbed and I was pulled to my feet rather roughly.

"Hey-"

"There's no getting out of this, so don't say anything," the skinnier man laughed slightly.

'_What's going on? I don't understand…' _My brows furrowed slightly in confusion. Captain Jack had sent me to the brig… so why would he want to see me? Had he changed his mind? I didn't know, but I had a feeling that I was about to find out.

The two men pulled me along; the larger one pulling my wrist and the thinner one right behind me. They didn't lead me to the Captain's quarters though. I was taken up to the deck where there were a lot of loud men shouting and cheering. I wasn't sure of which one because they both sounded the same to my ears.

"What are you doing?" Captain Jack's voice called out with anger.

I was pulled to where he was and was pushed towards Captain Jack. He looked at me with a cocked brow as my eyes wandered around. The men almost looked angry…

"Ah, Jack Sparrow," Barbossa's voice laughed as he walked forward.

"What is this?" Captain Jack asked with furrowed brows, "What are you doing?"

"I thought ye would notice a mutiny when ye saw one," Barbossa chuckled; the crew followed suit.

My eyes widened slightly with realization. _'A mutiny… This is what Bootstrap was talking about…' _

"A mutiny?" Captain Jack questioned, "Why would anyone want to have a mutiny against me?"

"Because we don't like ye Jack," Barbossa replied with a smile, "So we're going to leave ye on yer own personal little island."

The man held his hand out to gesture towards a beach like island. _'So we're gunna leave Captain Jack on an island?' _My brow furrowed with confusion.

"And as a gift ye can take yer prisoner with ye," Barbossa laughed, his eyes landing on me.

'_Oh… so they're gunna leave __**both**__ of us on this island…' _Both Captain Jack and I looked at each other; my expression more sympathetic than his.

"So there ye have it," Barbossa finished, "Now both you and the lady can make her way to the island."

Barbossa did a head gesture and one of the men stepped forward with what looked like a gun. My eyes widened at the sight.

"Here's a pistol with one bullet," Barbossa told us before throwing it over the side of the plank.

Captain Jack jumped over the edge after the pistol and I felt all the eyes land on me.

"Go ahead," Barbossa chuckled slightly, placing a hand on my chin, "Or would ye rather stay on the Black Pearl with a bunch of pirates?"

'_I don't think that a swim could really hurt that much…' _I backed away from Barbossa and turned before jumping off the plank as willingly as Captain Jack had. When my head came up, I could hear cheering from the ship sailing away.

"Well this… is interesting," I coughed before starting to swim towards the island.

* * *

Axel walked through a door of darkness as the sun was setting. He had been on a few pirate ships already. The Flying Dutchman and Sou-Fang's ship. He interrogated a man on Sou-Fang's ship; hearing that he had never heard of a long red haired girl. On the Flying Dutchman he had appeared in the Captain's quarters. An octopus headed sea creature of a man was playing a giant piano. The playing stopped when Axel's footsteps were heard. The tall red head was surprised to see this… man? He asked while rubbing the back of his head if he had ever seen anything of a red haired girl. The Captain snorted before replying, "There's no such thing."

As Axel came out the other side of his door of darkness, he shook his head.

"No such thing… Like he should talk," he murmured before coming to look around him.

He was on a black ship and a few of the men on deck looked at him with confusion. The tall red head ignored them though as he made his way to the Captain's quarters.

When he opened the door, his almost green eyes caught sight of an older man feeding a monkey wearing clothes.

"Who's a good boy?" the man asked, "Who's daddy's boy?"

"Uh, excuse me," Axel interrupted, watching with a cocked brow. The man looked up; not seemingly surprised by the interruption.

"And what would a stranger like yerself be wanting?" the man asked, almost bored.

"I'm on a search for someone. I've been on two other ships with no luck," Axel stated, shrugging slightly, "There's a girl I'm looking for with red hair, red eyes, wearing a red shirt with a black long sleeved one underneath. Have you seen her by chance?"

The man's eyes seemed to recognize the description. Axel smirked slightly at the thought.

"Aye, I believe I have seen such a girl," he admitted, nodding thoughtfully, "What importance is she to ye?"

"She's part of an investigation of mine," Axel lied simply, "Where have you seen her?"

"Last we saw of her was swimming to an island not too far back. She and Jack Sparrow should be there somewhere."

Axel turned immediately after opening a door of darkness behind him. He left no word of thanks. He was sure that the Captain wasn't looking for one.

* * *

I coughed up some sea water as I made it to the beach of the island. Captain Jack was right behind me.

"You're quite the swimmer, aren't you?" he asked, throwing the pistol onto the beach to dry.

"Just learned," I admitted, wiping my mouth.

Captain Jack turned to see the Black Pearl in the distance.

"I can't believe that he's sailing away with my ship," he murmured to himself.

I couldn't help but feel bad for him. He had just lost so much.

"If only we had some rum…" he sighed.

"Sorry," I apologized, "Don't have any."

"Why's the rum always gone?"

Captain Jack turned to walk into the island slightly away from the water. _'I don't understand… Why would they take over the ship…? Did Captain Jack do something wrong?' _I furrowed my brows in confusion as I turned to follow after him.

There were a lot of things that I didn't know or even understand. Pirates were now one of them.

"Captain Jack," I called, running to catch up with him, "Why did you become a pirate?"

"Freedom mate," he told me, looking back in my direction, "The freedom to roam the seas for how ever long you wished. Mutineers make that difficult."

There was something about his tone that actually made me kind of sad.

"Freedom huh?" I whispered.

"Aye," he agreed, "Treasure is just a benefit for the freedom."

Treasure…

"What did Barbossa mean by Aztec Gold at the Isle de Merta?" I wondered at the mention of treasure.

"It's said to be cursed," he scoffed, "Not even superstitious pirates would believe such a story."

"…Cursed?"

"The Aztec Gold of Cortez. What other way to protect your gold?"

Captain Jack started a fire and laid down near it. It wasn't long before he was asleep.

My red eyes watched as the Black Pearl completely disappeared on the horizon. The orange and blue mixed in the sky over the water and it almost reminded me of home. The colours were a little different, but it was still the same sky… wasn't it?

Home… now that was a laugh. That wasn't home. Even after a month of no yelling or fighting… it didn't feel real to me. Seifer was angry almost all the time. That wasn't him. Sure, he was an easily agitated person, but never completely angry. What happened to my world?

"It's a nice colour, isn't it?" a familiar voice asked from behind me.

I paused, thinking it was my imagination. _'I must be going crazy.' _I laughed in my head as I closed my eyes. He wouldn't come looking for me… at least I didn't think that he would.

Arms wrapped around my waist and my back was pulled against a hard chest.

"What, no answer?" he asked, his voice almost solemn.

I couldn't find my voice. This was real…

"Ixaon…" he whispered, his head resting against the back of mine, "I understand… if you never want to see me again."

'_No… of course I want to see you.' _I winced as my voice wouldn't make a sound. Why couldn't I say anything?

"It was cruel for me to leave you like that, but you know that I did it to keep you safe…"

"Yeah," I whispered, watching as the sun completely disappeared.

My voice was really quiet as I finally a word out.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, squeezing me tighter, "I don't want him to hurt you."

"What about not having a heart?" I asked; a little confused.

"So you remember that huh?" he asked me quietly, murmuring my wet hair.

Of course I remembered… that was what changed my life so much. That was the moment where my world was flipped upside down.

Nodding my head slightly, I heard Axel sigh. I could hear in his voice that he was sorry… that he felt horrible.

"Did you mean what you said?" I asked, letting my curiosity seep into my words.

Or did I not deserve an answer?

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"That if you had a heart… it would belong to me?" I asked quietly – shyly – as my eyes fell to the ground.

It felt silly – almost foolish – to asked such a question. I was special to no one, and I knew that.

A door of darkness appeared in front of me and Axel stood up fully so my feet were off the ground. He carried me through and we came out in the alleyway in front of my house. It was dark but it wasn't completely black.

My red eyes locked with Axel's almost green ones as he turned me to face him. His expression almost seemed really hurt. _'Did I say something to offend him?' _I worried as I looked back at him. I didn't want to hurt him.

"Axel I-"

"I meant every word Ixaon," he whispered to me, "If I had a heart, I would give it to you."

I closed my eyes at his words. His face was serious and our eyes had been locked. _'I can't believe this… What is he saying?' _My brows furrowed with confusion as I pondered at the meaning. What did Axel mean when he said that? Would I accept the meaning? Or would my mind reject it?

"What does that mean?" I asked, slowly opening my eyes and not meeting his gaze.

Axel sighed slightly as he leaned his head back slightly as if to look at the sky.

"I care about you, Ixaon," he started in a whisper, "It's different than caring about Roxas. Demyx is just there… and Roxas was the only person that mattered to me. That was… until I met you.

"I only care about Roxas as a friend. If he disappeared I would miss him and I would try to get him back… but that's it."

I looked up at him with his explanation. He was looking at me now.

"When Marluxia sent you there… I was angry. I went there and looked all over town. Then to three different ships to find you. I didn't give up… I wouldn't."

'_He went all over that place to find me?' _I looked at him with wonder now. Why would he do that?

"Anyway," he murmured, "I digress."

"Axel, I… I care about you too," I whispered, dropping my eyes, "I was… lonely when you left me here. It hurt that I couldn't see you anymore…"

As I tried to find my words, my brain stopped when one of Axel's gloved hands touched my cheek. He bent down slightly, moving his face closer to mine. _'What is he doing?' _I watched with confusion as he kept coming closer. I opened my mouth to say something but I was cut off as Axel used his hand to pull my head forward. Our lips touched and my eyes widened with surprise.

My brain stopped working as my eyes drifted shut. After a few moments, he removed his hand and pulled away. Then I was in a tight embrace against his chest.

"Ixaon… I love you," he told me, his voice quiet, "It's wrong for me to feel this way, but it's your fault."

"Why my fault?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him as well.

"For being who you are," he mused slightly.

"Well," I murmured, "You have skin, and that's human enough for me."

**End of Chapter 6**

Hello again! So, what did you think? Was it okay? I hope it was. I actually really liked that chapter and I'm just sad that it's so short. --cries-- Lmao. Well thank you so much for reading, I really appreciate it. :3 Next chapter will be just as good and emotional-full-ness. Lol. Thanks again for reading! Please R&R and I'll try to update soon. :3 If there are any spelling errors… the my bad. :F


	7. Target

Hey everyone! I know that it's been a long time since I last updated this and for that I'm really sorry. I know I say that a lot but I mean it. –_sliding bow down—_My apologies. The main part is that I'm updating, right? Lol. I think so. Thank you all to those who have read and reviewed so far, I extremely appreciate it. I hope you enjoy this new chapter while I try to run away from the Powerpuff Girls show. –_books it--_

**Target**

Axel and I stood outside for a little and the rain had come again. It wasn't just rain; it was a thunderstorm. I could feel the hard rain on my head as it came down and my red hair was soaked when it started. I laughed as Axel his under the staircase where we had first met.

"Are you afraid of thunderstorms?" I asked, still laughing.

"No," he shook his head defensively, "but I'm tired of being wet."

At his words, I couldn't help but laugh even harder. _'Tired of being wet…' _I watched him and shook my head slightly.

"Why don't you come in?" I asked, looking toward the house.

'_That might act like my home… but I know that that is the only place I can go to stay dry…' _

"No," he protested, shaking his head slightly, "I can survive out here."

He was smiling slightly as I came over to him and sat down against the wall.

I stared at the house in the alleyway with two lights on. As I did, I felt like I never wanted to walk through that door again. It felt normal… almost.

"You'd still rather wait to go home?" Axel asked me with a slightly cocked brow.

"Mom started to change… She was actually nice to me and the yelling stopped," I started to explain with a slight smile on my face, "It didn't feel right though. Of all times… why now? Why not ten years ago? Or thirteen?

"I couldn't come home to that all the time. I rejected the love because it felt so unreal."

Axel's expression seemed to fall slightly at my words. I didn't know why though. _'Did I say something to hurt him?' _

"Ixaon, that wasn't your family," he murmured quietly.

My brow cocked slightly with confusion.

"We had technology that needed to be tested," he started, staring ahead of him into the rain, "The day that I left you, I took you to a fake Twilight Town… an imitation. You've spent the last month there instead of here."

My red eyes widened at his explanation. _'He did it… to keep me safe right?' _I tried to understand it as I stared back at Axel. Somehow I knew that I wasn't mad. I didn't want to be either. I never really had been an angry person.

"That's why it didn't seem real to you." Axel murmured.

"So if I walk through that door-"

"Then it will be like it used to be… You'll have to hide until they're asleep or not go home at all," he explained rather solemnly, cutting me off.

"I see," I whispered.

I seemed to smile slightly at those words. I didn't know why I was… probably because that was what I was used to and to me it was better than a fake love.

"Aren't you wondering why?" he asked me, finally turning to look at me.

"Not really," I admitted, shrugging as our eyes locked, "To keep me safe right?"

His eyes widened slightly at the accusation.

"Am I wrong?" I asked with a cocked brow.

He shook his head slightly; saying that I was right. _'I thought so.' _I smiled at the thought.

"You're smart," he murmured, rubbing the back of his head.

"You said before when you left me that it was to keep me safe," I told him, looking ahead of me, "So I figured, why it wouldn't be true for this too."

The tall red head nodded his head in agreement.

Silence fell over us as I got to my feet. Axel seemed to cock a brow at my motion.

"I think I should get this over with," I told him, smiling slightly, "You can come in if you want to."

"No, I'll just stay out here," he replied with a small shrug.

"Stay out here?"

"You're a target for Marluxia," the tall red head started to explain, "Outsiders aren't welcome with the Organization, so he'll take it upon himself to get rid of you."

I cocked a brow at his words. I was next to harmless.

"I'm going to protect you Ixaon," Axel murmured, taking a hold of my chin to pull my head upward, "There's no doubt about that."

His lips kissed my forehead lightly before moving down to gently capture my lips. It only lasted a few moments… but to me it was worth it.

Axel pulled away before letting me go.

"Be careful Ixaon," he whispered before patting me head.

"I will," I nodded my head before going out into the rain.

"I'll be here all night if you leave."

I smiled at those words. Axel made me feel safe… He **was** my freedom.

My hand opened the door slowly before I looked around the room. My mom was coming out of the kitchen and the bowl in her hand dropped to the floor. The glass shattered and ice cream spread across the floor. My eyes widened as they locked with my mom's. They were filled with surprise as they stared back at me.

"What happened?" my dad's voice asked as it came down the stairs.

His footsteps were loud and he too was surprised. Not for long though, his brows quickly furrowed. _'I guess that this really is home…' _My eyes fell to the floor at his expression as he came to stand beside my mom.

"Why are you here?" he asked; his voice angry and rather cold.

Before I could open my mouth to say anything, my head was forcefully turned to the side.

I didn't raise my hand to my cheek to quell the sting. It had never happened before, but I couldn't say that I had never expected it. My dad had never been Twilight Town's calmest person.

"You disappear for over a month and think that you can just come back?" he growled – almost hatefully – at me.

My eyes narrowed and I didn't answer. I didn't know what a real family was like, but didn't family mean safety? Didn't it mean people who cared and loved you? No yelling, fighting, slapping or throwing of objects?

"Where have you been?" my mom's voice broke through my thoughts, "Have you been with that boy again? We were worried sick about you!"

"My red eyes widened at her words. Worried? They never cared a day in my life.

"No," I replied, my own brows furrowing, "That's a lie. You **never** cared."

My mom seemed surprised at my words, but not so much my dad. He still watched me coldly.

"There never had been a _'boy'_. I'm sorry that I decided to come back here at all," I stated, keeping fears at bay as I started to shake.

I may not have known what a real family was like, but I knew that mine was broken. 'Family' and 'Home' now seemed to have never existed for me.

No words were said as I turned and opened the door that I had come through not too long ago. I shut it hastily behind me and I walked back out into the rain.

Axel was sitting down now as I came out. His almost green eyes were rather surprised to see me again so soon. He was on his feet before I walked over to him.

"Ixaon, what happened?" he asked me.

I shook my head as the thunder of the storm boomed. Axel wrapped his arms around me as he saw the tears slowly streaming down my face. My arms wrapped around his torso and they tightened when the door opened once again.

"Don't ever come back to this house again Ixaon! You're disowned," my dad growled through the rain before the door slammed shut.

Axel's arms pulled me against him tighter with those words. They probably seemed harsh to him.

"So you were fighting," he murmured, "I see how it is."

I nodded my head; my face buried in his chest. His arms loosened their embrace and a hand was on my chin. His brows furrowed.

"What?" I asked as calmly as I could.

I didn't understand that expression. He almost looked… angry. _'Is something bothering him?' _I cocked a brow as my crying seemed to stop at that thought. My shaking seemed to stop as well.

"Why is your cheek red?" the tall red head asked with a serious tone, "Did he hit you?"

I had a feeling that he didn't need an answer to that question. He probably already knew.

I couldn't keep my eyes locked with his as he waited for an answer.

"So he did," he nearly hissed at the idea.

Axel's hands slipped from me and he started toward the house. Thunder boomed again at that moment.

"Axel, what are you doing?" I asked with confusion.

"Going to burn the stupid house down," he replied; his tone cold and rather uncaring.

'_What is he doing?' _My brows furrowed slightly before I ran to catch up. I stopped in front of him with a serious expression.

"Don't do it Axel," I told him, "They're just… broken people."

"I'd say," he scoffed, "Who slaps their own daughter?"

I didn't like this side of Axel… this dark and angry part of him. _'He really wanted to set the house on fire…' _

"They're still my parents…" I replied quietly, "…even if they aren't family."

The tall red head seemed to pause at those words. Then he sighed.

"Ah, little red," he shook his head before holding a hand out to me.

I smiled slightly before taking it.

He started to lead the way from the house in the alleyway.

* * *

Demyx sat, humming to himself as he waited. He had orders to wait in the mansion. He was in the main room with the table in the middle. Roxas was there as well, though he was waiting outside the door in the pouring rain.

"Poor Number Thirteen," the tell blond murmured before continuing his humming.

Marluxia had given Roxas a hard time from what he had heard. Number Eleven thought he could get away with so much.

"Oh well," Demyx sighed before getting to his feet and stretching.

He jumped when the door opened forcefully.

"Demyx, where did Axel say he was going?" Roxas asked; his voice sounding agitated.

The small blond was soaked from head to toe. It must have been really pouring outside.

"He said he was going to wait outside Ixaon's home," Demyx explained with a slightly cocked brow, "Why?"

He was confused with Roxas's urgency.

"Vexen just ran past the outside of the gate. He's running through the forest," the small blond explained.

Demyx made a face.

"Well that's not good at all."

"You wait outside the mansion and I'll go after him," Roxas ordered before running out of the room.

"Okay…" the taller blond mumbled before following out the door.

* * *

Axel took me to the hold in the wall to go to the mansion. The rain had slowed slightly and was now a steady drizzle. We were only a few steps inside when he stopped suddenly. I stopped too, wondering what the tall red head was doing.

"Um Ax-"

"Don't say anything Ixaon," he whispered to me, "Someone's hiding here."

I cocked a brow at those words. Someone was hiding? Why would anyone hide near the old mansion? Were they one from Twilight Town… or one that was like Axel? I didn't know. I just knew to do as I was told.

Axel's almost green eyes locked on something before he smirked slightly. That someone was making their appearance. I didn't recognize the long haired man. I had a feeling that I didn't want to. He had a… weird look on his face. It was almost sadistic.

"Ah, Number Eight. I knew that I'd find you here," the man laughed slightly.

"Only because you were told, Vexen," Axel told him with a shrug, "I'm sure Marluxia enjoys being her stalker."

The man called Vexen laughed at those words _'What's he laughing about?' _I couldn't help but cock a brow at the strange man. Was he crazy or something?

I could feel Axel's hand hold onto mine rather tightly as I stood half hidden behind him.

"No, I don't think Number Eleven has a Lolita complex like you do, Number Eight," Vexen shook his head with a small smirk.

"She's not a child," the tall red head stated, smirking back, "Roxas, on the other hand, **is** a child."

I looked up at Axel with confusion. Why was Roxas being mentioned through this?

"There's a three year difference," the tall red head continued.

Vexen seemed to summon some kind of blue weapon and then there was a thud. Roxas jumped onto the man's back and had a key-like weapon pointed to the man's throat.

"You're getting your butt kicked by a kid," Roxas laughed almost cockily.

'_So that's what he had to do with it…'_ I couldn't help but smile slightly at the thought.

It was strange… having them fight against their own people to protect me. I didn't like being next to helpless… but what could I do? What **was** there for me to do? I was normal, there wasn't anything that I could be able to do. _'Darn…'_

That useless feeling kicked in as I did nothing but watch Roxas being thrown to the side… As both of them fought together to protect me. _'I can't do anything… Maybe I should just disappear…'_

"_Come with me Ixaon."_

"Yeah," I whispered.

'_Let's do that.'_

I bent down and wrapped my arms around my legs. My red eyes felt dazed. I could only see the blurred figures moving not too far ahead. I felt warm… almost comfortable… like a blanket was covering me.

* * *

Axel swung his weapon but Vexen dodged and laughed slightly.

"What's so funny?" the tall red head growled, throwing fire in the man's direction.

Ice cooled the heated flames.

"The fact that the one you're trying so desperately to protect is falling to the hands of darkness," Vexen laughed again.

"What?" Axel growled; turning his head to look.

"Axel, pay attention!" Roxas demanded before there was a thudding sound.

The tall red head turned his head beck toward the problem at hand. Roxas and Vexen were fighting on the ground; trying to get power over one another.

"Never mind," the small blond stated with agitation, "Go after her!"

Axel paused… he didn't know what to do. He wasn't sure which was right.

"Axel there's not much time!" Roxas continued, "If you don't hurry then she won't be whole. She'll be as empty as you and me!"

"Good luck," Vexen laughed, turning his head upward to look at the tall red head, "She'd probably engulfed in the darkness now."

Axel furrowed his brows at the man's words. That was something he couldn't let happen; he wouldn't let her become an empty shell. So he turned toward the door of darkness… leaving Vexen to Roxas.

* * *

When I opened my eyes I didn't understand. The dark world was so… confusing. There were so many things wandering around the area… strange things with large yellow eyes. _'What are these things?' _I looked from side to side. They were everywhere. They weren't all the same though. Some were like the small black ones but larger and taller. Some were blue and really fat. Others were red with strange hats. Few could fly…

'_Are they dangerous?' _Most people would have been afraid and cowering in a corner. I wasn't afraid though. They weren't attacking me, I was next to invisible to them.

In my chest I had a yearning feeling… I wanted **something**. When my head looked down I was surprised. How could I not have been? How has this happened at all? What… had I done? I didn't know. All I knew was that I wasn't me anymore. I was one of these dark creatures. I was no longer a person recognizable by anyone. I was amongst the endless soldiers now.

**End of Chapter 7**

--_peers around corner to make sure it's safe -- _So, how was it? I really liked that chapter. I thought it was eventful even though it's rather short. My apologies for that. Thank you for reading. I hope that you'll come back for the next chapter. :3 Please R&R and I'll try to update as soon as I can. If there's any spelling mistakes… then my bad. :F


	8. Heartless

Hello everyone! I know that I haven't updated this one in a really long time but I've been busy and when I got a lot of other things out of the way this one was at the top of my get done list. Well… after updating Silver Slits… So I'm really sorry that this took so long. –sliding bow down ---

Thank you so much for reading the story all the way through and especially to all the ones that had reviewed. I'm happy that you all enjoyed my story, and I look forward to seeing what you might have to say about this last chapter.

Please enjoy. :3

**Heartless**

_Hollow…_

_Empty…_

_Darkness…_

_The End…_

* * *

Axel walked down the street of the World that Never Was, emerald eyes looking all over the buildings and streets. It had been a few days since she had disappeared in the darkness.

He had searched every world that he could think of and hadn't found anything; neither a Heartless nor a Nobody. He couldn't help but wonder on why one hadn't even shown up at all. Would he know it was her when he saw her? Would he be able to tell the difference between her and the other Heartless? His expression became solemn at the though. How could he possibly find her in a world like this?

Demyx came out of a door of darkness beside him and he was looking around rather frantically.

"How are we supposed to find her Axel?" the blond asked with a cocked brow, "There are too many Heartless and Nobodies in the worlds…"

"I don't know… We just have to find her."

"Now why would you want to do that Axie?" Larxene asked from to their side, sounding amused.

Axel glared hatefully in her direction.

"Aw, what's the matter? Miss your girlfriend?" she asked with a smirk present on her face.

Both Axel and Demyx summoned their weapons; threatening Larxene to back down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," she continued, "Especially if you want to see your girlfriend again."

"…Why not? If I get rid of you then there would be less danger for Ixaon."

"You **could** get rid of me, but Marluxia is a bigger threat to her than I am," the girl mused even more, "Not matter what you do she'll still be in danger."

"How could you know where she is?" Demyx asked rather doubtfully, "We've already been everywhere. I doubt that you'd be able to find her at all."

Larxene seemed to smirk a little more then, causing both guys to watch her suspiciously.

"Well of course it's impossible to be able to find her **whole**. No one would be able to find **both** halves of the same person," she laughed, taunting them.

Axel's jaw clenched together tightly. What was she getting at? Was she leading him up for a trap? By the way she was talking about Ixaon, it sure seemed like it.

"What do you think Axie? Do you need both halves of her together? Or do you only need the one half?" Larxene asked; the pleasured smirk still on her face.

A hand was placed on his shoulder and the tall blond moved closer to his ear.

"She's playing games Axel. Even if she had a half, Ixaon would still be a different person," Demyx told him lowly.

"I know," the red head murmured.

If Larxene had half then he could defeat her and take it away. If she had half, then it could have also been something Vexen had created in his lab as a trap.

"Clock's ticking Axie," Larxene chided across from them.

The other dilemma on his part was whether or not he'd ever be able to find the other half. What if someone destroyed it already?

"I can't leave her in their hands though," he explained to Demyx, stepping forward to Larxene.

Larxene opened a door of darkness and reached into it, pulling out a figure slightly shorter than her self.

"Of course you need proof that we found her Nobody," she mused, holding onto the girl's arm.

Axel's emerald eyes widened slightly at the sight of her Nobody. Her long hair was cut short to chin length. Her red eyes were blood red; vibrant against her darker hair. She was dressed in a simple light blue shirt and baggy dark blue shorts. Her expression was so foreign… so blank and empty. He guessed that they hadn't given her a new name yet.

The red head gripped his weapons out of anger toward the female Organization member. He was angry that she had been able to find her first. At the same time, he was grateful they hadn't just pulled her into their side of the fight.

"Here she is Axie, your precious little princess," Larxene laughed, "Would you really want to fight me for her? If you want her… then you have to find her."

His eye narrowed as she made the Nobody girl disappear.

"Demyx, you go find Ixaon's Nobody," Axel ordered, holding his weapons ready, "If you need help then find Roxas."

"But-"

"Go Demyx!" he ordered again.

"That's not very smart Axie, risking your friend's life for **your** pathetic girlfriend.

"There's so much that you don't understand Larxene," Axel growled.

The red head created a circle of flames around them; and inferno in the dark. His weapons were set aflame as she charged in to attack. She cast Thundaga, striking bolts of lightning around the small circle. The electricity forced him to dodge and lose ground and back away slightly.

"I don't understand why you'd fight for someone so pathetic," Larxene laughed with amusement, casting Thunder, "It's not like you can actually feel everything she feels anyway."

He retreated into the flames of his circle to dodge her cast.

Traveling around, he lunged out at her, attacking her from behind. He slashed his weapons into her back before they surrounded her, setting her on fire. They came back to him as she landed on the ground. She stumbled, getting to her feet.

"You don't know, because you've never tried," Axel hissed, "And now… now you never will."

* * *

I came into a dark room, looking around at everything. There were a few desks and cabinets in the dark room. Papers were scattered everywhere; all over the floors I was on. I was looking all over the room, seeing nothing that was familiar. It was hard to go through the darkness and come out somewhere familiar.

The door creaked open and the light turned on immediately. I panicked before sinking into the floor and crawling under it. A man was walking into the room and didn't notice me leaving. I came out of the floor and started to run down the long hallway to escape. I went under the doorway to go outside and looked around at the surroundings.

I knew this place… it looked so familiar.

"Hey Hayner, I'm going to beat you to our hang out spot!" a familiar voice laughed as a dark haired boy ran by.

Cocking my head, I saw the messy haired blond run after him.

"Don't get ahead of yourself Pence!" the blond shouted, "Come on Olette, hurry up!"

A brunette ran by, running slowly behind them.

"Come on guys, wait up!" she called after them.

I knew them, I knew I did. Their names and faces were familiar… so I followed after them rather eagerly.

"What is that thing?" another familiar voice asked, "It's creepy y'know?"

"Extermination," a girl stated.

"Hold up Fuu," a different guy ordered.

My head turned to him. I knew his face well. I wasn't scared as he came close with the foam baseball bat in his hand.

"Be careful Seifer. It might be dangerous y'know?"

"No Rai, I think… I think I know this thing…" the guy with the hat replied, kneeling down in front of me.

He held out a hand; a confused expression on his face. Cocking my head slightly, I placed my hand in his. It took a moment of thinking for him before be seemed to grasp on something.

"…Ixaon?" Seifer questioned in a whisper.

I jumped up then, placing my hands on his shoulders. He wrapped an arm around my smaller body.

"Is it dangerous Seifer?" Rai questioned, sounding confused.

"Chicken," Fuu stated right after.

"No," Seifer stated, standing up and walking past them.

"Where are we going, y'know?"

"To find whoever did this. You two can stay here," Seifer ordered, "I can deal with this on my own."

As the blond walked away, his brows were furrowed. Was he angry? Why would he be angry? I cocked my head with my own confusion as I looked up at him.

"Don't worry. I'll fix this and beat whoever did this to you into a pulp," Seifer explained to me as he walked into the forest of the mansion.

My antennae twitched slightly; causing me to turn my head.

At the opening of the old mansion there were a few bigger things of me; the ones that were small with blue armor. I tugged on Seifer's white jacket to get his attention.

"They friends of yours?" he questioned.

My head shook to the side once in response.

"Then we'll get rid of them," he stated simply.

* * *

Axel went through the door and slammed it closed. Roxas was there, waiting for him.

"Even if you found her Heartless as well, you know that you have no way of putting the two back together, right?" the smaller blond asked with crossed arms.

"I heard Vexen talking about it once," the red head stated as he looked through al the papers in the lab, "He said he had figured out a way to make a whole person out of a Nobody and a Heartless. I thought he was just blabbing to make himself feel important."

"He was probably just pulling everyone's leg," Roxas muttered, scanning over the papers on Vexen's desk.

"Better hope not," Axel nearly hissed.

By the way Roxas was talking, it sounded like he didn't want them to find the girl. It sounded as if he'd rather she not be found.

"Why not ask one of the higher ups if they know anything about it?" the small blond questioned.

"Like Xamnas would be willing to hand that information over to me," Axel replied rather doubtfully.

"Never know," Roxas mused, reaching for a piece of paper and picking it up, "Some of the Organization are unpredictable."

The red head paused at Roxas's tone. As he turned to the side, the blond turned the paper around to show him.

On the top it said _"Project Whole" _and there was a sticky note attached to the corner. Axel pulled it off with confusion.

'_**Number Eight,**_

_**Here's a copy of Project Whole that Number Four was blabbering about. I heard about little red and thought that you might need this. Don't worry, Number One won't hear about the Project.**_

_**Number Two: Xigbar'**_

Axel cocked a brow at the note before looking over the other sheet of paper. It wasn't the original – having not been written in Vexen's handwriting – but they needed to hope that it would work. Not for their sake, but for hers.

If he had to, he would live with just her Nobody. She wouldn't be whole, but neither was he. He would live with that fact.

* * *

Demyx ran down the hallway with the girl's Nobody following him closely. He was pulling her along behind him as they dodged long vines stretching to impale him.

"Aw man, this is totally the wrong job for me," the blond complained as he ducked around a corner with the Nobody.

The vines seemed to stop as he his and he opened a door of darkness.

"Let's go," he whispered to the Nobody before climbing through and closing it.

The plan was to always meet back at the old mansion after going on a search. It made the blond hope that that was still the case. If they never showed up then he didn't know where they would go. Not even the old mansion would stay hidden from Marluxia for very long.

* * *

Axel ran through Twilight Town, buying every potion and item that was on the list on the sheet. He needed the occasional accessory and weapon to add to the list.

"Do we have everything yet?" Roxas asked, grabbing the last item off the counter.

"I think that's everything," Axel murmured, showing the list to the blond.

"You idiot!" Roxas almost shouted, "You have to buy **two** of everything!"

"What? Why?"

"One for both of them!"

The red head groaned with annoyance before turning around and buying another of each item they had bought. Then they went back to the Accessory Shop, Potion Shop, and Weapon Shop.

"Good job," the blond muttered with his own annoyance.

"I was in a hurry," Axel defended.

"Apparently."

"Let's just go."

They ran across the Tram Common to the large hole in the wall. The forest was empty as usual, but when they got close to the mansion, they were confused to see a Shadow helping Seifer fight off Soldiers.

* * *

I clawed at a thing's armor, stunning it for a moment. Seifer's bat cam down and knocked the last one away; leaving no more to be taken care of.

I collapsed to the ground, lying on my stomach and staring at the gates of the mansion.

"What are you doing here?" Seifer asked someone behind me.

"Looking for a friend," they replied almost cautiously.

"What did you do to her?" Seifer asked angrily, "I know it was you. She's been missing for weeks and suddenly she shows up like this… I know both of you have something to do with this!"

At his anger, I turned my head to see who Seifer was yelling at. I got up when I saw the tall red head and cocked my head to the side with confusion.

"What are you talking about? It's just a Shadow," the blond asked with confusion, "How could a Shadow have anything to do with us?"

"You three troublemakers disappear for the same amount of time that she was gone and suddenly two of you are back again?" Seifer asked, tone rather doubtful and clearly annoyed as well.

"Who is **she**?" the blond asked.

"Ixaon."

The red head and blond looked at me then, seeming surprised by what Seifer was saying.

"How can you be sure?" the blond asked almost doubtfully.

"I've known her a lot longer than you have lamer," Seifer stated coldly, glaring at the smaller blond.

The blond glared back angrily.

"Roxas, calm down," the red head stated, looking at the blond for a moment.

I couldn't stop looking into the red head's eyes. They were such a nice colour… and I lost myself in them.

"We're going to fix what happened to her Seifer. We came here in hopes to fix it… but we didn't have the Heartless yet," he explained, looking at Seifer, "Thank you for knowing that it was her."

"You can keep your appreciation, because I'll never be able to forgive you," the taller blond stated with narrowed eyes.

Axel looked confused at Seifer's words. I was as well. Roxas didn't seem to care all that much.

"Everything was fine until you came along. I really wondered why she was always just sitting there doing nothing… I just acted like she was causing problems. Then she met you," Seifer said, eyes watched Axel with an expression I didn't understand, "You became a big part of her time and you dragged her into trouble… You took her away from me."

Axel looked at me with a rather solemn expression, causing me to turn my head with confusion.

"I'd give her back and say sorry," the red head murmured, "but I can't… because I love her."

Seifer laughed slightly, "I can forgive you for keeping her happy, but not for getting her into trouble… for letting this happen at all."

"I'll be sure to right my wrongs."

Axel came over to me and picked me up into his arms. He then motioned for Roxas to follow him into the mansion.

"Do a better job of keeping her safe, otherwise I'll be the one doing it," Seifer called from behind us.

"Fat chance," Roxas scoffed.

* * *

Demyx paced around the room while the Nobody sat in the computer chair. He couldn't stand sitting there and waiting; knowing that Marluxia was looking everywhere for them. He knew that Number Eleven would be at the mansion soon. The girl's Nobody's silence didn't exactly help either.

"What's the matter Number Nine?" Marluxia asked from the doorway, leading into the pods.

"Nothing at all," Demyx replied nervously before running to the Nobody and grabbing her wrist.

"You're really bad at Hide and Seek Number Nine," Marluxia stated, summoning his Scythe.

The blond led the two up the stairs to the library before vines past them. They were up the second set of stairs and out the door in a few moments, escaping the attack.

Breaking out into the main room of the old mansion, Demyx took the girl into his arms before jumping down all the stairs to the floor. They needed to get away from Marluxia before the Nobody was back in his hands and Demyx was no more than a part of the darkness.

* * *

I was confused to see another blond running toward us, pulling someone behind him.

"Demyx!" Axel called.

"Run! Run away!" Demyx called back, not stopping until he got to us.

"What's going on?" Roxas asked with a cocked brow.

"Marluxia's here. He found us," the taller blond explained.

"Demyx, you stand back and protect the Heartless and the Nobody. We'll keep him off you," Axel ordered, summoning his weapons and standing in front.

I jumped to the ground and stood behind Demyx. I was really small… I knew that I couldn't really do much to help now.

"I'm with you Axel," Roxas stated, standing beside the red head.

The pink haired mane burst out of the room and jumped down the stairs to the floor.

"Well, well Number Eight," Marluxia mused, "You've done well collecting the two halves of your girl."

"How about we just get this over with?" Axel growled, raising his weapons.

"I suppose you're going to run to Number One once this is over; tell him everything?" the scythe wielder asked with a slight smirk.

"The higher ups know much, but not because of me," Axel replied icily before running at Marluxia.

"…Really? That's too bad," the pink haired man replied, swinging his scythe to summon his vines.

Roxas went forward, using his Keyblades to cut through the moving vines. The Keyblades gave me a chill, making me back away slightly.

"Dance water dance!" Demyx shouted as he started to play his Sitar.

Water copies of the taller blond started to bounce around us; attacking Marluxia. The scythe cut through the copies with hardly any effort when he could get an attack in.

By the look of it, it didn't really seemed like fair odds for Marluxia – three against one – but Marluxia didn't seem like he really fought fair either.

Vines spread across the main room of the mansion, wrapping around the hand rails and climbing up the walls. I shuffled closer to the girl beside me, trying to avoid the man's plants.

Axel and Roxas attacked Marluxia with synchronized attacks before the red head created his circle of flames around the three. No one knew what was happening inside, not until the scythe wielder was thrown out of the flames; black pieces floating off his body.

All of us watched as the flames dispersed and Marluxia was fading.

"Enjoy your time in the nothingness," Axel hissed before throwing his weapon to finish the man off.

Marluxia disappeared and Roxas took a knee, panting. Things were silent as the weapons disappeared.

The tall red head walked over to Demyx and then picked me up into his arms. He walked a certain distance away before placing me on the ground. He mixed two vials together with various objects and potions. Turning my head to the side, I watched as he handed Demyx the one vial. They faced opposite directions of each other; Axel facing me and Demyx facing the other girl.

"One… Two… Three…"

The two threw both vials at each of us. A bright flash surrounded us and there was no one else around me.

Looking around with confusion, I turned myself around to see the girl that was with Demyx. She walked over to me, placing a hand on my large forehead.

"Hello… little me…"

* * *

The air felt fresh and cool against my face as I stirred from sleep. At least… I thought it was sleep… When I lifted my hand to my forehead, water dripped down onto my face. _'What's… going on exactly?'_ I asked myself with confusion.

When I opened my eyes, I could see the sky above me turning orange and dark pink. Clouds were small and thinly layered.

"Where am I?" I asked myself, sitting up.

My red eyes wandered across the vast amount of water. Was I at the beach? Was it the Twilight Town beach? Or had I gotten drunk with Captain Jack and dreamt the whole thing? I didn't know. All I knew was that whatever had happened had felt very real.

"Hey look! There she is!"

I looked behind me at the voice. The small smile couldn't stay off my face for very long. There stood the red head and two blonds, two of the three grinning at me; Roxas merely smiling slightly.

Immediately, I got to my feet and ran to them, nearly knocking Axel over when I hugged him. He held me tightly in his arms and I smiled.

You know," I murmured, "I really thought that I wasn't going to be able to talk to you guys again."

"You know everything that happened?" Demyx asked.

"I was that little black thing," I told them, "I saw everything. I just don't know how… I got back together again…"

"It doesn't matter how," Axel murmured, "so long as you're whole again."

"Yeah."

This all made me wonder… if I could become whole again, then who was to say they the others couldn't too? Would they even want to be whole again? I didn't know. All I knew what that I was glad to have met the tall red head and two blonds. They really had saved my life, in more ways than they were aware of.

**End of Fanfic**

So… how was it? Was it good? Was it a good enough ending for everyone? I like how it ends personally but that's just me and I wrote it – sweat drops—I'm sorry if the battle scenes were kind of short and cut off. I didn't want to drag both battles on and bore you guys.

Thank you so much for reading this story. I really hope that you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. –hugs all of you—Please R&R and I look forward to seeing some of you reading other stories. :D

_Thank you:_

_halfdemon-kai_


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